Thirty-seventh government of Israel

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Sixth Netanyahu cabinet

37th Cabinet of Israel
Incumbent
File:ממשלת ישראל השלושים ושבע. צילום- אבי אוחיון.jpg
Ministers of the government
with President Isaac Herzog
Date formed29 December 2022 (2022-December-29)
People and organisations
PresidentIsaac Herzog
Prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu
No. of ministers31[1]
Member parties
Status in legislatureCoalition
Opposition parties
Opposition leaderYair Lapid
History
Election(s)2022 Knesset election
Legislature term(s)25th Knesset
Incoming formation2019–2022 political crisis
Predecessor36th government

The thirty-seventh government of Israel is the current cabinet of Israel, formed on 29 December 2022 in the aftermath of the Knesset election in November.[2][3] It consists of six parties: Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, and Noam and is Benjamin Netanyahu's sixth government during his time in office.

Background

Main article: 2019–2022 Israeli political crisis
Further information: Thirty-sixth government of Israel and 2022 Israeli legislative election

The right-wing bloc of parties, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, known in Israel as the national camp, won 64 of the 120 seats in the elections for the Knesset, while the coalition led by the incumbent prime minister Yair Lapid won 51 seats.[4] The new majority has been variously described as the most right-wing government in Israeli history,[5] as well as its most religious government.[6][7]

Shortly after the elections, Lapid conceded to Netanyahu,[8] and congratulated him,[9] wishing him luck "for the sake of the Israeli people".[10] On 15 November, the swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected members of the 25th Knesset was held during the opening session. The vote to appoint a new Speaker of the Knesset, which is usually conducted at the opening session, and the swearing in of cabinet members were postponed since ongoing coalition negotiations had not yet resulted in agreement on these positions.[11][12][13]

Government formation

Israeli government formation, November 2022
← May 2021 November 2022
 
Nominee Benjamin Netanyahu Yair Lapid
Party Likud Yesh Atid
Electoral vote 64 29[14]
Prime Minister before election

Yair Lapid
Yesh Atid

Prime Minister After

Benjamin Netanyahu
Likud

On 3 November 2022, Netanyahu told his aide Yariv Levin to begin informal coalition talks with allied parties after 97% of the vote was counted.[15] The leader of the Shas party Aryeh Deri met with Yitzhak Goldknopf, the leader of United Torah Judaism and its Agudat Yisrael faction, on 4 November. The two parties agreed to cooperate as members of the next government.[16][17] The Degel HaTorah faction of United Torah Judaism stated on 5 November that it will maintain its ideological stance about not seeking any ministerial posts, as per the instruction of its spiritual leader Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, but will seek other senior posts like Knesset committee chairmen and deputy ministers.[18]

President Herzog consulting with MKs Orit Strook, Ohad Tal, and Moshe Solomon ahead of nominating a prime minister-designate, 10 November 2022.

Netanyahu himself started holding talks on 6 November. He first met with Moshe Gafni, the leader of Degel HaTorah, and then with Goldknopf. Meanwhile, the Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich and the leader of its Otzma Yehudit faction Itamar Ben-Gvir pledged that they would not enter the coalition without the other faction. Gafni later met with Smotrich for coalition talks.[17] Smotrich then met with Netanyahu. On 7 November, Netanyahu met with Ben-Gvir who demanded the Ministry of Public Security with expanded powers for himself and the Ministry of Education or Transport and Road Safety for Yitzhak Wasserlauf.[19] A major demand among all of Netanyahu's allies was that the Knesset be allowed to ignore the rulings of the Supreme Court.[20] Netanyahu met with the Noam faction leader and its sole MK Avi Maoz on 8 November after he threatened to boycott the coalition. He demanded complete control of the Western Wall by the Haredi rabbinate and removal of what he considered as anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish content in schoolbooks.[21] Israeli President Isaac Herzog began consultations with heads of all political parties on 9 November after the election results were certified.[22] During the consultations, he expressed his reservations about Ben-Gvir becoming a member in the next government.[23] Shas met with Likud for coalition talks on 10 November.[24] By 11 November, Netanyahu had secured recommendations from 64 MKs, which constituted a majority.[23] He was given the mandate to form the thirty-seventh government of Israel by President Herzog on 13 November.[25] Otzma Yehudit and Noam officially split from Religious Zionism on 20 November as per a pre-election agreement.[26]

President Herzog assigns the task of forming a new government to Likud leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, 13 November 2022.

Otzma Yehudit and Likud on 25 November signed a coalition agreement, under which Ben-Gvir will assume the newly created position of National Security Minister, whose powers would be more expansive than that of the Minister of Public Security, including overseeing the Israel Police and the Israel Border Police in the West Bank, as well as giving powers to authorities to shoot thieves stealing from military bases. Yitzhak Wasserlauf was given the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee with expanded powers to regulate new West Bank settlements, while separating it from the "Periphery" portfolio, which will be given to Shas. The deal also includes giving the Ministry of Heritage to Amihai Eliyahu, separating it from the "Jerusalem Affairs" portfolio, the chairmanship of the Knesset's Public Security Committee to Zvika Fogel and that of the Special Committee for the Israeli Citizens' Fund to Limor Son Har-Melech, the post of Deputy Economic Minister to Almog Cohen, establishment of a national guard, and expansion of mobilization of reservists in the Border Police.[27][28][29]

Netanyahu and Maoz signed a coalition agreement on 27 November, under which the latter would become a deputy minister, would head an agency on Jewish identity in the Prime Minister's Office, and would also head Nativ, which processes the aliyah from the former Soviet Union.[30] The agency for Jewish identity would have authority over educational content taught outside the regular curriculum in schools, in addition to the department of the Ministry of Education overseeing external teaching and partnerships, which would bring nonofficial organisations permitted to teach and lecture at schools under its purview.[31]

Likud signed a coalition agreement with the Religious Zionist Party on 1 December. Under the deal, Smotrich would serve as the Minister of Finance in rotation with Aryeh Deri, and the party will receive the post of a minister within the Ministry of Defense with control over the departments administering settlement and open lands under the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, in addition to another post of a deputy minister. The deal also includes giving the post of Minister of Aliyah and Integration to Ofir Sofer, the newly created National Missions Ministry to Orit Strook, and the chairmanship of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to Simcha Rothman.[32][33]

Likud and United Torah Judaism signed a coalition agreement on 6 December, in order to allow request for an extension to the deadline. Under it, the party would receive the Ministry of Construction and Housing, the chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee which will be given to Moshe Gafni, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Tradition (which would replace the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage), in addition to several posts of deputy ministers and chairmanships of Knesset committees.[34][35]

Likud also signed a deal with Shas by 8 December, securing interim coalition agreements with all of their allies. Under the deal, Deri will first serve as the Minister of Interior and Health, before rotating posts with Smotrich after two years. The party will also receive the Ministry of Religious Services and Welfare Ministries, as well as posts of deputy ministers in the Ministry of Education and Interior.[36]

The vote to replace incumbent Knesset speaker Mickey Levy was scheduled for 13 December, after Likud and its allies secured the necessary number of signatures for it.[37] Yariv Levin of Likud was elected as an interim speaker by 64 votes, while his opponents Merav Ben-Ari of Yesh Atid and Ayman Odeh of Hadash got 45 and five votes respectively.[38]

Netanyahu asked Herzog for a 14-day extension after the agreement with Shas in order to finalise the roles his allied parties would play.[39] Herzog on 9 December extended the deadline to 21 December.[40] On that date, Netanyahu informed Herzog that he had succeeded in forming a coalition, with the new government expected to be sworn in by 2 January 2023.[41]

Members of government

Ministers

The following are the current ministers in the government.[1]

Portfolio Minister Party Reference
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Likud
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Justice		 Yariv Levin Likud [42]
Minister of Health
Minister of the Interior and Periphery		 Aryeh Deri Shas [43]
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Avi Dichter Likud [44]
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer Religious Zionist [45]
Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi Likud [46]
Minister of Housing and Construction
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office		 Yitzhak Goldknopf United Torah Judaism [47]
Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar Likud [48]
Minister of Defense Yoav Galant Likud [49]
Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf Otzma Yehudit [50]
Minister of Diaspora Affairs
Minister for Social Equality		 Amichai Chikli Likud [51]
Minister of the Economy Nir Barkat (proposed) Likud [51]
Minister of Education
Minister of Regional Cooperation		 Yoav Kisch Likud [52]
Minister in the Education Ministry Haim Biton Shas [53]
Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman Likud [48]
Minister of Finance
Minister in the Defense Ministry		 Bezalel Smotrich Religious Zionist [45]
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen Likud [54]
Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu Otzma Yehudit [50]
Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel (proposed) Likud [54]
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Meir Porush United Torah Judaism [55]
Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services Ya'akov Margi Shas [53]
Minister in the Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services Ministry Yoav Ben-Tzur Shas [53]
Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Israel Katz Likud [54]
Minister of National Missions Orit Strook Religious Zionist [45]
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir Otzma Yehudit [56]
Minister of Religious Affairs Michael Malchieli Shas [53]
Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis Likud [48]
Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer Likud [57]
Minister of Tourism Haim Katz Likud [58]
Minister of Transportation Miri Regev Likud [48]
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Galit Distel-Atbaryan Likud

Proposed deputy ministers

Portfolio Minister Party Reference
Deputy Minister of National Jewish Identity in the Prime Minister's office Avi Maoz Noam [59]
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Moshe Abutbul Shas [48]
Deputy Minister of the Economy Almog Cohen Otzma Yehudit [50]
Deputy Minister of Finance Michal Waldiger Religious Zionist [48]
Deputy Minister of Interior
Deputy Minister of Health		 Moshe Arbel Shas [53]
Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services
Deputy Minister for Culture		 Ya'akov Tessler United Torah Judaism [47][55][48]
Deputy Minister of Transportation
Deputy Minister for Social Equality		 Uri Maklev United Torah Judaism [48][55]

Principles and priorities

According to the agreements signed between Likud and each of its coalition partners, and the incoming government's published guideline principles, its stated priorities are to combat the cost of living, further centralize ultra-Orthodox control over state Jewish services, pass judicial reforms that includes legislation to reduce judicial controls on executive and legislative power, and expand settlement and consider a West Bank annexation policy. [60][61]

Before the vote of confidence in his new government in the Knesset, Netanyahu presented three top priorities for the new government; namely, internal security and governance, halting Iran's nuclear program, and the development of infrastructure with a focus on further connecting the center of the country with the so-called periphery. [60]

References

  1. ^ a b "All Governments of Israel". Knesset. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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  3. ^ Tal, Rob Picheta,Hadas Gold,Amir (29 December 2022). "Benjamin Netanyahu sworn in as leader of Israel's likely most right-wing government ever". CNN. Retrieved 29 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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  50. ^ a b c Times of Israel (25 November 2022). "Ben Gvir to get newly created role of national security minister in deal with Likud". Times of Israel. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  51. ^ a b Hauser Tov, Michael (28 December 2022). "Netanyahu appoints Idit Silman as environmental protection minister, Miki Zohar as culture and sports minister". Haaretz.
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  55. ^ a b c Michael Bachner (28 December 2022). "UTJ inks coalition deal with Likud, ending internal squabbling ahead of swearing in". Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
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External links

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