Negotiations between Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid and Yamina head Naftali Bennett have hit a roadblock over the issue of which of their respective blocs will receive the post of defense minister, Channel 13 reports.
Bennett, who would lead a 13-MK bloc of Yamina and New Hope, is insisting that the portfolio be in his hands in addition to the premiership. According to the report, Bennett wants to give the defense position to New Hope chair Gideon Sa’ar, which would then allow him to give the justice portfolio to Ayelet Shaked.
Lapid, who leads a 45-MK bloc of Yesh Atid, Blue and White, Yisrael Beytenu, Labor and Meretz, has insisted on keeping the defense portfolio for his substantially larger bloc.
The sides are also split on the number of ministries, with Yamina demanding a whopping 25 (still smaller than the current 36) and Yesh Atid set on the more modest 18 in order to cut unnecessary spending.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
