From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Minister Haim Katz given all 3 Otzma Yehudit portfolios, including national security
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet votes to appoint Tourism Minister Haim Katz to temporarily head three ministerial positions left vacant when the far right Otzma Yehudit party quit the government earlier this week.
Katz will now take over all three portfolios, in addition to the one he already holds. He will serve as an interim minister for three months, rather than receiving a permanent appointment.
On Sunday morning, Otzma Yehudit chief, then-national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced that his party was pulling out of the coalition in protest of the ceasefire-hostage deal reached with Hamas. Ben Gvir, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf all submitted their resignations, which went into effect on Tuesday morning.
Following Ben Gvir’s resignation, Netanyahu was widely expected to give the National Security Ministry to someone within his Likud party, to leave the door open for Ben Gvir to later return to the government.
Katz, along with Science Minister Gila Gamliel, will also join the high-level security cabinet.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas) voted against Katz’s appointment, according to the ultra-Orthodox Radio Kol Hai.
The Times of Israel Community.