JERUSALEM — Benjamin Netanyahu completed his return to power by swearing into office a historically right-wing government coalition and beginning an unprecedented sixth stint as Israeli prime minister on Dec. 29.
Benjamin Netanyahu, center, with Aryeh Deri, right, and other lawmakers at a plenum session on forming the government, in the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, Dec. 29, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
After winning a decisive mandate in November elections, Netanyahu spent several weeks negotiating potential coalition partners to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a majority coalition.
Members of Netanyahu’s Likud Party will fill the kety roles of foreign minister, defense minister and justice minister, though the key role of finance ministers goes to Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist party.
During coalition negotiations, several ministry leadership positions were modified or scheduled such that different lawmakers will rotate into some positions over time.
Itamar Ben-Gvir will have a newly created portfolio as national security minister, with unprecedented control over Israel’s police forces.
The right-wing party Noam will get almost $20 million annually to create and operate a new “Dept. of State Jewish Consciousness.”
Smotrich will also appoint the next head of the military unit that handles Palestinian border crossings.
Aryeh Deri, head of the haredi Orthodox Shas Party who has served prison time for taking bribes during a former stint as interior minister, will return to that ministerial role and also lead the health ministry.
Netanyahu syas he will not allow his coalition partners to pass policies that would endanger LGBTQ, Arab, ultra-Orthodox or any other citizens.
In a speech to the Knesset, or Israel’s parliament, on Dec. 29, he emphasized that his top priorities will be curbing Iran’s nuclear program, connecting peripheral Israeli communities to city centers with new infrastructure, and bolstering law and order.
Netanyahu is already Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, filling the role from 2009-2021 and 1996-1999.
