Netanyahu pushes ahead with contentious bill to expand cabinet
Second, third readings set for Wednesday night; marathon debate expected in Knesset as opposition to submit numerous motions
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was moving ahead with a Knesset bill that would allow him to appoint more than 18 ministers — currently the limit — to his cabinet, with the amendment set for its second and third readings later Wednesday.
The bill’s first reading passed by a slim majority of 61-59 Monday night, with MKs voting along coalition-opposition lines. Netanyahu’s emerging government coalition is made up of 61 members — Likud (30 seats), Kulanu (10 seats), Jewish Home (eight), Shas (seven) and United Torah Judaism (six).
Wednesday’s Knesset debate on the bill is expected to be long, as opposition members will bring up hundreds of motions, in hopes of delaying the bill’s passage.
Some of the motions mock Netanyahu and the ruling Likud party, according to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth on Tuesday, which published some of the proposed amendments. They include: a motion to replace the word “cabinet” with the words “Bibi’s crew”; a motion to add the word “stam” (not really or just kidding) to the end of the various clauses; a motion to turn Netanyahu into the prime minister of everyone, “except anyone who throngs to polling stations in buses”; and a motion to replace the words “minister without portfolio” with “an MK who knowingly wastes public funds.”
Likud MK Zeev Elkin, the head of the special committee set up Monday to advance the bill and prepare it for final approval, criticized some of the proposals, saying that “opposition members competed among themselves over who could come up with more offensive motions.”
During a debate on the bill Tuesday night, Elkin said that the “efforts to set up the current government proved that in Israel’s coalition system, it is near impossible to abide by the 18-minister rule.”
If the bill passes on Wednesday, as expected, Netanyahu is set to swear in his new governing coalition on Thursday. According to some reports, he may delay until Monday.
Netanyahu has said he seeks to increase the cabinet by two ministers and four deputy ministers. An amendment to a constitutional law (passed in the last government) that capped the number of government ministers at 18, and outlawed the institution of ministers without portfolio, has prevented him from doing so.
Delaying implementation of the 18-minister limit would enable the prime minister to hand out additional portfolios to satisfy the demands of his own party members who missed out on cabinet positions that were given to coalition partners.
Likud members will be competing for at least 12 portfolios, among them the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Communications, Culture and Sports, Immigration and Absorption, Intelligence, National Infrastructure, Energy and Water, Tourism, Transportation and Road Safety, Welfare and Social Services, Strategic Affairs and Home Front Defense.
Likud MK Gilad Erdan is expected to be appointed public security minister, according to NRG, while Yisrael Katz will likely be the next transportation minister, Yariv Levin the tourism minister and Elkin the immigration and absorption minister. Miri Regev, Tzahi Hanegbi, Gila Gamliel and Ofir Akunis are also expected to head ministries but it is not clear which ones.
Under coalition deals with his respective partners, Netanyahu agreed to hand over the finance, environmental protection, and housing and construction portfolios, as well as the leadership of the Israel Land Administration to Kulanu; the Economy Ministry, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee, the post of deputy finance minister and the chairmanship of the Knesset Education Committee to Shas; the education ministry, justice ministry, and agriculture ministry to Jewish Home; UTJ’s Yaakov Litzman will be handed the Health Ministry and appointed its deputy minister, MK Meir Porush will be appointed deputy Education Minister and MK Moshe Gafni will head the powerful Knesset Finance Committee.
Under the coalition deal with UTJ, several major reforms drafted by the previous government, aimed at integrating the ultra-Orthodox community into Israeli society, will be frozen, including aspects of legislation to phase Haredim into mandatory military or national service. There will, for instance, reportedly be no criminal penalty for non-conscription of yeshiva students. Reforms to ultra-Orthodox education and the conversions process will also be rolled back.