After Yair Netanyahu fiasco, new deal could mark comeback for current WZO chief

Following the dramatic collapse Wednesday night of an agreement on appointments at key Zionist institutions, a new arrangement for the leadership of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish National Fund-KKL was reportedly reached Friday that would likely see the comeback of current chief Yaakov Hagoel.

The original deal fell apart after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial elder son Yair was unexpectedly tapped for a cushy board position at the WZO, a move that crossed a red line for many, and prompted the opposition Yesh Atid party to back out of the agreement.

That announcement torpedoed the previous compromise deal and flung the World Zionist Congress into disarray.

Under the emerging new agreement, which has yet to be finalized, Yair Netanyahu will not receive any position in the WZO.

The position for which he had been nominated, said to be the leadership of the WZO’s Diaspora and Information Department, comes with an office, a car, and a salary commensurate with that of a government minister.

It was not immediately clear who would get this position.

Under the terms of the new deal, which still requires the approval of the leadership of the Zionist institutions, Rabbi Doron Perez, chairman of the religious Zionist World Mizrachi movement — and father of Cpt. Daniel Perez, who was killed in the October 7 Hamas attack and whose body was held captive in Gaza for two years — will become the next chair of the World Zionist Organization. Halfway through the five-year term, Hagoel, the current chairman, will replace him.

In the previous version of the deal, the second half of the term would have replaced Perez with a representative of the Yesh Atid party.

The arrangement for the leadership of the Jewish National Fund-KKL would remain as previously agreed. Yesh Atid MK Meir Cohen would serve as the next chairman of the Jewish National Fund-KKL, retiring from the Knesset after 12 years. He would be replaced in the middle of his term by a representative of the Likud party.

The emerging deal would represent a victory for Hagoel, who was previously expected to win the WZO chair. After rival Miki Zohar won an election for the leadership of World Likud earlier this week, Hagoel was unable to muster enough support in the WZO.

However, Zohar’s misstep in trying to sneak through a position for the prime minister’s son cost him valuable support, setting the stage for Hagoel’s return.

It is believed that other appointments made by Zohar, a close loyalist of Benjamin Netanyahu, are also at risk of being overturned.

Hagoel, a Likud member, is not considered close to the prime minister.

The younger Netanyahu, who has spent much of the past two years living in Miami, Florida, is best known for his firebrand social media presence and association with several far-right European and American politicians and figures. In recent months, he has denounced the current IDF chief of staff, called Qatar’s leader a modern-day Hitler, blamed the Israeli left for major fires, and castigated the president of France.