Israel’s incoming coalition government on Tuesday approved an amendment to the Basic Law to pave the way for the appointment of two ministers, after Religious Zionism and Shas demanded that this step be taken before the inauguration as a requirement to back Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.
The members of the outgoing Executive extended the session during the early hours of the morning through long speeches to try to avoid as much as possible the vote, which ended with 63 votes in favor and 55 against, a sign of the majority in the Knesset enjoyed by the Likud-led coalition, which includes several ultra-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
The leaders of Religious Zionism and Shas, Bezalel Smotrich and Aryeh Deri, respectively, had demanded these changes to the Basic Law so that there would be no problems when it came to them assuming their ministries. Thus, an appointment mechanism is created without a government directive to allow Smotrich to take a position in the Defense Ministry, while removing the obstacles to Deri taking over the Health portfolio following his suspended sentence for fraud.
Smotrich will thus be in charge of Civil and Social Affairs, a post hitherto delimited by a government directive, something that will not be necessary this time around. His competencies will also include military appointments and construction in West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law, as reported by The Times of Israel.
For their part, the changes remove the obstacles for Deri, a convicted person, to hold an official position. The Shas leader was given a suspended sentence in January and, as part of the deal, left his seat before the ruling to avoid the court ruling on whether his actions amounted to immoral behavior for a public official, which would have disqualified him for seven years.
The coalition led by Netanyahu’s Likud includes the far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Noam, Shas and United Torah Judaism. In total, these formations control 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament.
Following the announcement of the agreement, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid said it was the «most extreme government in the history of the country», while outgoing Economy Minister Avigdor Lieberman lamented the concessions to ultra-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, accusing Netanyahu of «assembling the government of darkness».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
