Guess who’s coming to the Cabinet table

A who’s who of the ministers, deputies and committee heads in Israel’s 33rd government

Aaron Kalman is a former writer and breaking news editor for the Times of Israel

Ofer Shelah in the Knesset Plenum in February. (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Ofer Shelah in the Knesset Plenum in February. (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

The Jewish Home and Yesh Atid parties reached agreements-in-principle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beytenu faction Wednesday night, and signed the coalition deals on Friday, paving the way to form Israel’s next government.

Netanyahu was meeting with Likud MKs Sunday to confirm their posts in the new government. Though the positions will only be formalized when the cabinet is sworn in on Monday, most of the picture is now clear.

Here is what Israel’s 33rd government will likely look like:

Likud:

  • Benjamin Netanyahu – Prime Minister (will also hold the Foreign Ministry until the end of Avigdor Liberman’s trial.)
  • Moshe Ya’alon – Defense minister
  • Yisrael Katz – Transportation minister
  • Yuval Steinitz – possibly: Energy and water minister
  • Silvan Shalom – possibly: Regional Development, and Negev and Galilee Development Ministry
  • Gilad Erdan – Homefront Defense and Communications Minister
  • Gideon Sa’ar – Interior minister
  • Limor Livnat – Culture and Sports minister
  • Yariv Levin – head of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee
  • Ofer Akunis – Deputy Minister in charge of the Israel Broadcasting Association
  • Zeev Elkin – Deputy Foreign Minister
  • Danny Danon – Deputy Defense Minister
  • Tzachi Hanegbi – Chairman, Knesset House Committee (switching in 18 months with Ofer Akunis)
  • Ofer Akunis – Deputy Minister, responsible for liaison between the government and the Knesset (switching in 18 months with Tzachi Hanegbi)
  • Yariv Levin – Coalition head
  • Yuli Edelstein – Knesset speaker

Yisrael Beytenu:

  • Avigdor Liberman – Head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (could return to Foreign Ministry)
  • Yitzhak Aharonovitch – Public Security minister
  • Yair Shamir – Agriculture minister
  • Sofa Landver – Immigration Absorption minister
  • Uzi Landau – Tourism minister

Yesh Atid:

  • Yair Lapid – Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
  • Rabbi Shai Piron – Education minister
  • Yael German – Health minister
  • Meir Cohen – Wellfare minister
  • Yaakov Peri – Science and technology minister
  • Micky Levy — Deputy welfare minister

Jewish Home:

  • Naftali Bennett – Economics and trade minister and deputy prime minister (he will also hold the Religious Affairs portfolio)
  • Uri Ariel – Housing minister
  • Uri Orbach – Senior citizens minister
  • Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan – Deputy religious affairs minister
  • Ayelet Shaked and Nissan Slomiansky will rotate as head of the Knesset Finance Committee

Hatnua:

  • Tzipi Livni – Justice minister
  • Amir Peretz – Environmental protection minister

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