Israel: Knesset ratifies Netanyahu's new government
After almost two months since Israel's general elections, the country's 37th government concluded its swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, marking the beginning of a legislature that is expected to end the political deadlock that has led Israelis to participate in four elections in the last five years. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu (also nicknamed 'Bibi').
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) opened a special plenary session on Thursday morning to ratify the appointment of the members of the new government. The ceremony was marked by the departure speech of the hitherto prime minister, Yair Lapid, as well as by the words of welcome from the new head of government, Netanyahu, who was interrupted on several occasions by heckling and "racist" remarks from his opponents.
מפגינים נגד ממשלת החושך! יש פה כמויות של אנשים לאורך כל הרחוב! ??????❤️?? האהבה שלנו תנצח????????❤️ pic.twitter.com/MQ7PIfIgmR
— ניב ????? (@niv_ha) December 29, 2022
"This is the sixth time I have presented a government under my leadership to win the confidence of the Knesset. I am as excited as the first time," Netanyahu said, amid applause from his parliamentary allies and rejection from the opposition inside the House and demonstrations against the new government outside. "I swear as prime minister to maintain loyalty to the State of Israel and its laws, to faithfully carry out my duties as prime minister, and to respect the decisions of the Knesset".
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— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) December 29, 2022
Thus, after Lapid's farewell speech - in which he highlighted some of the achievements of his mandate, such as the restoration of Turkish-Israeli relations, stability in the Gaza Strip, the maritime demarcation agreement with Lebanon and the fight against Tehran's nuclear programme - the new prime minister identified his government's three priority "national objectives": Normalising relations with more Arab countries (or, in other words, extending the scope of the Abraham Accords, which now seem to be directed towards Saudi Arabia), creating a bullet train that crosses the country from north to south, and preventing the creation of an Iranian nuclear state in order to, according to him, "ensure that it does not destroy Israel".
The oath of office and ratification of the members of the Executive by the Knesset comes just 24 hours after Likud (Netanyahu's political party) presented all the coalition agreements to parliament. At 11:00 am local time. And there are no surprises. 64 of the 120 deputies of the Israeli legislative chamber are in favour of the coalition of the right-wing secular Likud party with the ultra-orthodox Sephardic Shas, the ultra-orthodox Ashkenazi United Judaism for the Torah, the ultra-rightist supremacists Religious Zionism and Jewish Power, and the homophobic Noam, all of them with racist and homophobic discourses.
The distribution of posts among the six political formations of the new government has taken some time to be made public, and it was not until Thursday that the list of names was announced in full.
The government led by 'Bibi' - controversial from the outset, as the Likud leader takes office with a trial underway for three corruption charges - is distributed equally between his own party, to which half of the members belong, and the coalition's parliamentary partners, with the other half. Thus, Shas has 11 members, United Judaism and Religious Zionism seven each, Jewish Power six, and the controversial Noam one.
The new Israeli government — 11% women
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) December 29, 2022
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Several of the most important ministerial portfolios will be in the hands of Likud members themselves, such as the Justice Ministry, which has gone to the hitherto Speaker of the Knesset, Yariv Levin, who will play a key role in the trial of Netanyahu and the judicial reforms proposed by the new government. Others, such as former Chief of Staff Yoav Galant and former Economy Minister Eli Cohen, will head the Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministries, respectively, to oversee progress in the Israeli-Iranian tension and to boost relations with Saudi Arabia.
In addition, Likud will also control the Ministry of Education with Yoav Kisch; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with Avi Dichter; the Ministry of Communications with Shlomo Karai; the Ministry of Transport, with Miri Regev; and the Ministry of Science and Technology with Ofir Akunis, among others.
The post of Speaker of the Knesset - a key post as it is considered to be the third most powerful political figure in the country after the President of the State and the Prime Minister - will be held during this legislature by Likud member Amir Ohana. A particularly relevant appointment in an Executive with several openly homophobic members, as Ohana himself is homosexual, and in 2015 - when he became a member of the Knesset for the first time - he was rejected by several ultra-Orthodox members of the House (including Avi Maoz of Noam and Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist Party, Netanyahu's partners in the incoming government), who even left the room.
On the other hand, the members of the coalition's second largest party, Shas, will control the Interior and Health portfolios during the first half of the legislature, and Finance during the second half, through its leader, Arye Deri, who will also become deputy prime minister. To this end, the Israeli parliament recently had to introduce an amendment to the Basic Law (the closest thing the country has to a constitutional text), as Deri has been convicted and disqualified from high public office for tax fraud. In fact, the new deputy prime minister is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his appointment on 5 January.
Shas will also hold important positions in the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Social Services through Ya'akov Margi and Ya'akov Margi (who will rotate in the post) and in the Ministry of Religious Services, with Michael Malchieli, among others.
However, the appointments of Itamar Ben Gvir (of Jewish Power) as Minister of National Security, Bezalel Smotrich (member of Religious Zionism) as Minister of Finance in the first half of the legislature, and of Interior in the second half (rotating with the vetted Arye Deri of Shas), and with a rank equivalent to that of Minister of Defence with regard to the situation in the West Bank; Yitzhak Goldknopf (United Torah Judaism) as Housing Minister; and Avi Maoz (Noam) as Deputy Minister of Jewish Identity within the Prime Minister's Office, with responsibility for education, have been the most outraged. Both among members of the parliamentary opposition and among many of the Israeli population.
Not only is there controversy surrounding the Jewish supremacist Ben Gvir, who was convicted of incitement to racism and support for terrorist organisations, and who will now maintain reinforced power over the country's police and the occupied territories (being able to dictate measures over the commissioner general himself), but Smotrich's demand to maintain a parallel power to the Ministry of Defence in order to push forward expansion on the West Bank has required an amendment to the Basic Law.
