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Thirty-seventh government of Israel

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Sixth Netanyahu cabinet

37th Cabinet of Israel
Incumbent
Ministers of the government with President Herzog
Date formed29 December 2022 (2022-December-29)
People and organisations
PresidentIsaac Herzog
Prime ministerBenjamin Netanyahu
No. of ministers32
Member parties
Status in legislatureCoalition
Opposition parties
Opposition leaderYair Lapid
History
Election2022 Knesset election
Legislature terms25th 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 following the Knesset election on 1 November 2022. The coalition government consists of six parties—Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, and Noam—and is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who has taken office as the Prime Minister of Israel for the sixth time.

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. The new majority has been variously described as the most right-wing government in Israeli history, as well as Israel’s most religious government.

Shortly after the elections, Lapid conceded to Netanyahu, and congratulated him, wishing him luck "for the sake of the Israeli people". 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.

Government formation

Israeli government formation, November 2022

← May 2021 November 2022
 
Nominee Benjamin Netanyahu Yair Lapid
Party Likud Yesh Atid
Electoral vote 64 29

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. A major demand among all of Netanyahu's allies was that the Knesset be allowed to ignore the rulings of the Supreme Court. 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.

President Herzog consulting with MKs Orit Strook, Ohad Tal, and Moshe Solomon ahead of nominating a prime minister-designate, 10 November 2022.
President Herzog assigns the task of forming a new government to Likud leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, 13 November 2022.

President Isaac Herzog began consultations with heads of all the political parties on 9 November after the election results were certified. During the consultations, he expressed his reservations about Ben-Gvir becoming a member in the next government. Shas met with Likud for coalition talks on 10 November. By 11 November, Netanyahu had secured recommendations from 64 MKs, which constituted a majority. He was given the mandate to form the thirty-seventh government of Israel by President Herzog on 13 November. Otzma Yehudit and Noam officially split from Religious Zionism on 20 November as per a pre-election agreement.

On 25 November, Otzma Yehudit and Likud 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

The vote to replace then-incumbent Knesset speaker Mickey Levy was scheduled for 13 December, after Likud and its allies secured the necessary number of signatures for it. 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.

Netanyahu asked Herzog for a 14-day extension after the agreement with Shas in order to finalise the roles his allied parties would play. Herzog on 9 December extended the deadline to 21 December. 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. The government was sworn in on 29 December 2022.

Members of government

Ministers

The following are the current ministers in the government:

Portfolio Minister Party
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Likud
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Justice
Yariv Levin Likud
Vice Prime Minister Aryeh Deri (Dec. 2022–Jan. 2023) Shas
Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri (Dec. 2022–Jan. 2023) Shas
Michael Malchieli (Jan. 2023–) (acting) Shas
Minister of Health Aryeh Deri (Dec. 2022–Jan. 2023) Shas
Yoav Ben-Tzur (Jan. 2023–) (acting) Shas
Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf Otzma Yehudit
Minister of Diaspora Affairs
Minister for Social Equality
Amichai Chikli Likud
Minister of Housing and Construction
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office
Yitzhak Goldknopf United Torah Judaism
Minister Without Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office May Golan Likud
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Avi Dichter Likud
Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi Likud
Minister of Culture and Sport Miki Zohar Likud
Minister of Defense Yoav Galant Likud
Minister of Finance
Minister in the Defense Ministry
Bezalel Smotrich Religious Zionist
Minister of the Economy Nir Barkat Likud
Minister of Education
Minister of Regional Cooperation
Yoav Kisch Likud
Minister in the Education Ministry Haim Biton Shas
Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Israel Katz Likud
Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman Likud
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen Likud
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer Religious Zionist
Minister of Information Galit Distel-Atbaryan Likud
Minister of Intelligence Gila Gamliel Likud
Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu Otzma Yehudit
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Meir Porush United Torah Judaism
Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services Ya'akov Margi Shas
Minister in the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services Yoav Ben-Tzur Shas
Minister of National Missions Orit Strook Religious Zionist
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir Otzma Yehudit
Minister of Religious Affairs Michael Malchieli Shas
Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis Likud
Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer Likud
Minister of Tourism Haim Katz Likud
Minister of Transportation Miri Regev Likud

Deputy ministers

Portfolio Minister Party Reference
Deputy Minister of National Jewish Identity in the Prime Minister's office Avi Maoz (Dec. 2022–Feb. 2023) Noam
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's office
Deputy Minister of Transportation
Uri Maklev United Torah Judaism
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Moshe Abutbul Shas
Deputy Minister for Culture Ya'akov Tessler United Torah Judaism
Deputy Minister of Finance Michal Waldiger Religious Zionist
Deputy Minister of Interior
Deputy Minister of Health
Moshe Arbel (Dec. 2022–Jan. 2023) Shas

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 Orthodox control over state Jewish services, pass judicial reforms that includes legislation to reduce judicial controls on executive and legislative power, expand settlements in the West Bank, and consider a West Bank annexation policy.

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 the nuclear program of Iran, and the development of infrastructure, with a focus on further connecting the center of the country with the so-called periphery.

References

  1. ^ "All Governments of Israel". Knesset. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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