Knesset votes to approve Israel’s 37th government, Netanyahu’s 6th term

Incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu swears in Israel’s 37th government, promising that his right-religious coalition will deliver political stability after five back-to-back elections rocked the country since 2019.

Confidence in the government is confirmed by 63 of the 64 coalition members (United Torah Judaism MK Ya’akov Tesler is overseas), with 54 against, in the 120-seat Knesset.

At a combined 15 years over two previous stints in the country’s leadership, Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. This will be his sixth government, and by allying his right-wing Likud with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, it will be his — and the country’s — most hardline to date.

According to coalition agreements signed between Likud and each of its five allied parties, as well as the government’s published guiding principles, the incoming government will prioritize comprehensive judicial reform, striking at the heart of the balance between political and judicial powers, as well as the expansion of settlements and possible West Bank annexation, combating the cost of living, and further centralizing ultra-Orthodox control over state Jewish services.

Speaking to the Knesset plenum before the swearing-in, Netanyahu presented three top priorities for his new government: stopping Iran’s nuclear program, developing state infrastructure — with an emphasis on connecting the so-called periphery to the center of the country — and restoring internal security and governance to Israel.

Many ministries have been split, repackaged, scheduled for ministerial rotation, had pieces cleaved off or appended, and several have more than one minister under their purview. Only five of 31 ministers are women.