What are the next steps before Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is sworn In?
Wednesday night, shortly before a midnight deadline, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Israeli President Isaac Herzog to give formal notification that he has enough Knesset support to form a government.
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Dec 13, 2022. Photo by Shalev Shalom/TPS
That phone call created new deadlines for Netanyahu to finalise his government, and the clock is ticking. He now has until Monday, Jan. 2, to have his government sworn in.
That means Likud needs to finalise coalition agreements with its right-wing partners, the Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and Noam parties.
The leaders of Shas, Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit insist they will not sign final coalition agreements unless the Knesset first passes three controversial bills into law.
One is the so-called “Deri bill” referring to Shas leader Aryeh Deri. He is expected to serve as both Minister of Health and Interior and then rotate into the Minister of Finance. He resigned from the Knesset in January as a part of a plea agreement in which he admitted to tax offences. He was given a suspended prison sentence, but current laws bar him from a cabinet position for seven years.
The Knesset also needs to pass legislation allowing Religious Zionism leader Betzalel Smotrich to effectively serve as an independent minister within the Defense Ministry to oversee construction in Judea and Samaria. The Defense Minister currently oversees construction in those areas.
The third is the “Ben-Gvir bill” which refers to Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir, who would serve as Minister of National Security. The expanded authority he demands over the Israeli police requires Knesset legislation.
Likud is planning a legislative blitz to get the bills passed. Netanyahu hopes to have his government sworn in before Jan. 2.
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on the formation of his new coalition government.
AIJAC’s National Chairman, Mark Leibler and Executive Director, Dr Colin Rubenstein, jointly stated: “AIJAC congratulates Binyamin Netanyahu on his new government. We wish him and his ministers every success as they take the reins and attempt to grapple with Israel’s numerous challenges on multiple fronts – diplomatic, security, economic, health and others.
Mr Netanyahu is, of course, Israel’s longest-serving and most experienced political leader. We also take him at his word that he will be the one steering the ship of state in the new government, not his coalition partners. We hope and expect that this means that he will ensure that the inflammatory rhetoric and radical proposals that have emanated from some members of the new governing coalition will not define the domestic or foreign policies of the new government.”
AIJAC also looks forward to exploring new opportunities to work together to further strengthen the Australia/Israel relationship under the new Netanyahu-led Israeli government.”
