Netanyahu uses Likud’s first reserved slot for businessman who called Trump ‘piece of s***'

“Put aside for a moment the question of whether the agreement with Iran is good or bad,” Dobronsky wrote in the post. “In what world is it normal not to invite to the negotiating table the ally that fought shoulder to shoulder with you?”

He added, “Not only did Trump not invite Israel to the negotiating table, he didn’t even share the text of the agreement itself with it. What kind of morally corrupt person treats an ally like that?”

However, on Monday, Dobronsky walked back his statement. He wrote on Facebook that “President Trump is the greatest friend that Israel ever had in the Whitehouse [sic]. I posted in his favor countless times. On one occasion, not knowing all the facts, I lost my temper and posted something I regret. My apologies to President Trump, whom I admire deerly [sic].”

Dobronsky is well-known in the Israeli and American tech industries. He was a co-founder of a company that developed a toolbar for Internet browsers and later completed a significant exit. He subsequently continued working as an entrepreneur and invested in start-ups.

Dobronsky later moved to Silicon Valley, where he became a well-known figure in both the Israeli community and the technology industry. Among other ventures, he founded Oren’s Hummus in Palo Alto, a hummus restaurant that became a popular meeting place for tech industry figures in the area, including senior employees of major technology companies.

Dobronsky also appeared on the television program Shark Tank, where he served as an investor alongside Israeli businesspeople and entrepreneurs. Over the years, he invested in start-ups and was involved in initiatives aimed at strengthening ties between Israel’s tech industry and Silicon Valley.

Likud commented on Dobronsky’s addition to its slate.

“The Likud movement welcomes Oren Dobronsky as the party’s first reserved candidate,” the party stated.

“Oren is a successful businessman, one of the pioneers of Israel’s hi-tech industry, and a right-wing figure,” Likud added.

Netanyahu stated that he was “very excited” about Dobronsky  joining because “I think we’re getting an addition here – you could say additional strength, but also additional initiative, additional understanding, additional experience.”

The party tribunal’s decision was made last week, following petitions against the provision. Notably, the provision had been approved by a margin of five votes, just as it was discovered that exactly five voting envelopes had gone missing. This is the same number as the margin of victory.

The tribunal overturned the vote, and efforts by party officials to reverse the decision in the civil courts ultimately failed on Monday. The immediate result is that the district slots will remain open only to new candidates, without incumbent elected officials competing for them.

Dobronsky’s reserved slot is part of Netanyahu’s efforts to shape the party and its messaging ahead of the coming period. In recent weeks, the prime minister has held a series of conversations and meetings with a specific group of ministers and MKs, aiming to identify the Likud figures who will spearhead the party’s public messaging.

Those selected for this group include Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth, coalition chairman Ofir Katz, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.

Party officials said that Netanyahu was seeking to create a front comprised of figures with a statesmanlike profile and media experience who would be capable of appealing to audiences beyond the party’s natural support base.

Likud has, for years, prided itself on conducting primaries in which over 100,000 of its registered members are eligible to vote for the Knesset list. Netanyahu has pushed to change the system in recent weeks ahead of the primaries, which were set for August 17.

The changes to the party’s primaries led to a sharp divide, with some party members in favor and others strongly against.

The primaries determine the Likud’s Knesset slate, with the party chairman placed first. Registered members then vote for candidates on the national list, while members from geographic districts vote for candidates from their respective districts.

Candidates chosen on the national list are combined with district representatives and places that guarantee representation for groups including women, immigrants, young members, and minorities. The regulations also reserve certain positions for candidates chosen by the party chairman.

In the 2022 primaries, for example, the first group of positions after the party chairman was largely filled by nationally elected candidates, while district positions and guaranteed-representation slots were inserted farther down the slate. Netanyahu was also given several reserved positions.

The precise locations of those different categories are determined before each election through the party’s temporary election regulations. That is why the current fight has centered not only on whether primaries will take place, but on how much of the resulting slate the members will actually control.

Netanyahu reportedly has held several meetings with senior Likud figure Haim Katz, seeking to bridge disagreements over the primary system.

The first vote on the primaries had been postponed multiple times, prompting reports that Netanyahu was working to secure internal support for changing the system.

There were also reports that Netanyahu had threatened to leave Likud if the proposed changes were not advanced.

Some of the reserved slots could also reportedly go to figures such as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and former finance minister Moshe Kahlon.

Those within the party who oppose changing the primaries have argued that it will cause those who would otherwise score highly in the primaries to fall further down the list.

A fierce critic of changing the system has been MK Tally Gotliv, who is viewed as a candidate who would receive broad support from registered party members.

Parties are not required to hold primaries in Israel, and only a few do so.

The Likud primaries are expected to be highly competitive. Likud currently has around 40 ministers and MKs serving in the government and Knesset. However, recent polls project the party winning only about 25 seats, leaving many at risk of losing their places on the party’s Knesset list.

The debate on how to hold the Likud primaries comes ahead of the general elections, which are set to take place on October 27.

The addition of Orden to the list also came after the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday rejected Likud MK Afif Abed’s attempt to restore a narrowly approved change allowing current and former MKs, ministers, and deputy ministers to run in the party’s district primaries, leaving the restrictions in place ahead of the August 17 vote.

Judge Yaakov Shaked nevertheless sided with Abed on a central issue in the dispute, ruling that the Likud’s top internal court had exceeded its authority when it found that allowing incumbent politicians to compete in district races violated the party’s principle of equality.