Israel’s New Government: Everything You Need to Know

Israel’s New Government: Everything You Need to Know

The new Israeli government was expected to be sworn in by the end of Thursday.

On Wednesday, Prime minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the Likud party, presented to the Knesset the coalition agreements needed to form a right-wing government composed of 64 seats out of a total of 120 in the Knesset. The new government will be composed of United Torah Judaism (UTJ), Religious Zionism, Noam, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish power). The government will be sworn in on Thursday after a hearing and confidence vote.

Foremost in the coalition agreement was the issue of Israel’s territory. 

“The Jewish people have an exclusive and inalienable right to all areas of the Land of Israel,” the government said in its overall policy statement, promising to “promote and develop all parts of the Land of Israel.”

The agreement went on to specify that this development policy would include Judea and Samaria.

“The nation of Israel has a natural right to the Land of Israel,” section 118 of the coalition agreement stated.

“In light of the belief in that aforementioned right, the prime minister will formulate and promote policies within whose framework sovereignty will be applied to Judea and Samaria,” the document stated, specifying that this included the Galilee, the Negev and the Golan Heights which have all been officially annexed by the Israeli government. It described the Golan as a “strategic region” with a large potential for development.

Though this seems positive, the wording of the agreement left the timing of annexation open-ended, dependent on Israel’s “national and international” interests.

SMOTRICH: THE NEW HEAD OF JUDEA AND SAMARIA

On Tuesday, the Knesset voted to approve Amendment 11 to the Basic Law, allowing two ministers to serve in one office. This will allow Smotrich to appoint a minister within the Defense Ministry who will oversee Judea and Samaria. This position will be responsible for the civil administration and coordination of government operations there including authority over construction.

In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday titled “Israel’s New Government Isn’t What You’ve Heard”, Smotrich said there would be no “changing the political or legal status” of the West Bank, indicating that annexation would not immediately take place.

“They say I am a right-wing extremist and that our bloc will usher in a ‘halachic state’ in which Jewish law governs,” Smotrich wrote. “In reality, we seek to strengthen every citizen’s freedoms and the country’s democratic institutions, bringing Israel more closely in line with the liberal American model.”

SAMARIA: REPAIRING OLD WOUNDS

Most importantly, the agreement transfers the civil administration of Judea and Samaria from the IDF to the newly formed branch of the Defense Ministry assigned to Smotrich.

Changes will be made to the Disengagement Law passed in 2005 that paved the way for the dismantling of Gush Katif and four communities in Samaria. The section of the law concerning Samaria will be repealed, presumably to allow those communities to be legalized and resettled. The agreement promised to authorize the establishment of a yeshiva at the site of the former Homesh settlement. There was also a promise that the government would uphold an agreement made to the Samaria Regional Council and the Nahala Movement in 2021 calling for the construction of a settlement and a yeshiva in Evyatar.

HEBRON

The agreement signed by the new government promised to work on behalf of the Jewish community of Hebron where Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit party, lives.

 The agreement also changes a military law that prevents Jews who owned property in Judea and Samaria prior to 1948 from claiming their property if it is currently abandoned. 

The agreement also detailed additional steps that would be taken to further develop Jewish settlements, infrastructure, and road work as well as to preserve open spaces in Area C.

OBSTACLE: ABRAHAM ACCORDS

The coalition agreement promised to “promote peace with all our neighbors while preserving Israel’s security, historical and national interests” which includes expanding cooperation with the Arab countries that signed the Abraham Accords while “working to promote additional peace agreements in order to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.”

This may be problematic as Netanyahu has been working to sign a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. If he accomplishes this, Saudi Arabia will be the fifth Arab nation to sign the Abraham Accords. This will mark a significant advance in Israel’s relations with the Arab nations in the region. 

According to media reports, in initial negotiations with the Saudis, Netanyahu agreed to suspend plans for annexation in exchange for a normalization deal. 

It is unclear how Netanyahu will achieve that goal without disenfranchising his coalition partners.

NETANYAHU’S ANNEXATION PROMISES

As far as the future of Judea and Samaria is concerned, Netanyahu has made promises on the topic in the past. In 2019, he promised to annex the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea if he won the elections. As the campaign progressed, Netanyahu increased the scale of this promise to include Israeli sovereignty over all of the Juea and Samaria “without exception.”

He did not win the elections so the annexation never materialized and the current coalition agreement is an expression of intent and is not legally binding.

JERUSALEM

In its policy statement, the government promised to strengthen the status of Jerusalem, underscoring the importance of preserving and developing a united Jerusalem as Israel’s sovereign capital. The agreement pledged to prevent Palestinian Authority (PA) activities in the city. 

The coalition agreement pledged to retain the current rules regarding the holy sites in Israel. Netanyahu has stated in the past that he will not permit Jews to pray on the Temple Mount whereas Itamar Ben Gvir has pledged to make this a reality, describing the current police policy of preventing Jewish prayer as racist discrimination. Equality of religion is mandated by Israeli law but the courts permit the police to suspend this right based on security considerations. In the case of the Temple Mount, the police claim that Arab and Muslim violence precludes Jewish prayer. 

Netanyahu has given mixed messages about Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. But during coalition negotiations earlier this month, Likud rejected outright a demand from Otzma Yehudit to allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount.

After elections last year, Netanyahu explained that allowing Jews to pray on the Temple Mount “would have ignited the Middle East and brought down the anger of one billion Muslims on us. And there are things I am not willing to do in order to win the elections.” 

In 2019, he explained his position in different terms, saying, “The right of the Jewish people to their holy place, the Temple Mount, is unquestionable. I believe that the right of prayer for Jews in this place should be arranged, and even more so that we should provide for the freedom of worship for all religions in Jerusalem.”

He jokingly added, “Don’t worry, it will happen, and before the arrival of the Messiah.”

OTHER ISSUES

-The agreement pledged to combat Iran’s nuclear program.

-The government agreed to actively work to boost national security and provide personal security to its citizens, while resolutely and determinedly fighting violence and terrorism.

-Religious Zionism and Likud agreed to pass a High Court override law designed to reduce judicial checks on executive and legislative power.

-Legislation is expected to permit more gender-segregated events as the result of Netanyahu’s agreement with the Haredi Orthodox United Torah Judaism alliance

-The right-wing party Noam will get almost $20 million annually to create and operate a new “Department of State Jewish Consciousness.”

-LGBT: An amendment would enable private businesses to refuse to provide a product or service due to religious belief if the same product or service could be obtained in near proximity at a similar price. MKs Simcha Rotman  (Religious Zionist Party) and Orit Strock  (Religious Zionist Party) told the media on Sunday that this would allow a doctor to refuse to supply care if it violates his religious belief, and a hotel owner refusing to give a room to a gay couple. This must pass a Knesset vote in order to be enacted as law.

-The Knesset passed an amendment referred to as the “Deri Law” that will allow Aryeh Deri (Shas)  to serve as a minister. The law allows an MK to serve as a minister if he did not actually serve any prison time for a conviction. Deri was convicted in 2000 for taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as interior minister.

-The government promised to work for social justice by developing the outlying communities and reducing societal gaps, while uncompromisingly combating poverty through education, employment, and increased assistance to the weaker segments of the population.

-The government will act to encourage the use of public transportation and to solve the traffic congestion problems on the roads.

-The new government will advance a plan to cope with the soaring cost of living and will work to create economic conditions that will enable sustainable growth.

-Reducing housing prices and increasing the supply of apartments will be a national goal, and the coalition will act to lower housing prices.

-The government will take steps to guarantee governance and to restore the proper balance between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

-The government will act to increase Jewish immigration from all countries around the world.

-Education will be a top priority and the government will work to advance reforms in the education system while ensuring equality between all populations in the various education systems, and strengthening Jewish identity.

-The government will preserve the Jewish character of the state and the heritage of Israel by respecting the practices and traditions of members of all religions in the country in accordance with the values of the Declaration of Independence.

-The government will act to address the problem of personal security in Arab society and to fight crime in Arab society, while encouraging education, providing adequate and appropriate solutions for young people, and investing as necessary in infrastructure in Arab localities.

-The government will act to advance vocational training and education in technological professions in order to adequately meet the current needs of the industry in Israel as a major economic growth factor.

-The government will work to integrate people with disabilities of any kind into societal life, while assisting in their education and employment, will take care of the basic needs of those who are unable to sustain themselves, and will act to improve the status of the elderly, the disabled and families with many children.

-The government will act to protect the environment in Israel, to improve the quality of life of the country’s residents, and to have Israel contribute to the global effort on climate and environmental issues.

-The government will work to strengthen the security forces and to give backing to soldiers and police officers in order to fight and defeat terrorism.

MINISTERS

The minister appointments are as follows:

• Foreign Minister: Israel Katz (Likud) will serve as Foreign Minister, a position that he held in 2020. Hebrew media reported that Katz was angered when he was told he would serve in that position in a rotation with fellow Likud MK Eli Cohen.
• Justice Minister: Yariv Levin (Likud)
• Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism party leader) will rotate with Aryeh Deri (Shas). Michal Woldiger (Religious Zionist Party) will serve as the Deputy Minister. 
• Knesset speaker: Amir Ohana (Likud)
• National Security Council: Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) will be head of the council.
• Defense Minister: Yoav Galant (Likud)
• Minister of National Security: Itamar Ben Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) will become the first minister of the newly created Ministry of National Security, giving him control of the Border Police branch of the IDF tasked with counter-terrorism and law enforcement operations in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem.
• Aliyah and Integration Minister: Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionist Party)
• Knesset Law and Religious Services Committee: Simcha Rotman (Religious Zionist Party)
• Tourism Ministry: Haim Katz (Likud)
• National Missions ministry: Orit Strok (Religious Zionist Party) will head the newly formed ministry
• National Infrastructure Projects and Reforms Committee: Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party)

Education Minister: Yoav Kisch (Likud)

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