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Explained: The who's who in Benjamin Netanyahu's new government
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  • Explained: The who's who in Benjamin Netanyahu's new government

Explained: The who's who in Benjamin Netanyahu's new government

Agence France-Presse • December 30, 2022, 09:14:45 IST
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Top ministers in Israel’s new right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, include a politician who admitted to tax evasion late last year and a slew of far-right figures, including one who kept a portrait of a man who massacred scores of Palestinian worshippers in his home

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Explained: The who's who in Benjamin Netanyahu's new government

Jerusalem: Led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returns to power after an absence of less than two years, the most right-wing government in Israel’s history was sworn in on Thursday. It includes a politician who late last year admitted tax evasion and a clutch of far-right personalities, including one who once kept a portrait in his home of a man who massacred scores of Palestinian worshippers. Here is a run-down of key officeholders in Israel’s 37th government. Eli Cohen, foreign minister Eli Cohen is a father to four children and entered political life in 2015 with the now-defunct centre-right party Kulanu. He joined Likud four years later, and Netanyahu appointed him intelligence minister in 2020. Cohen was an architect of Israel’s normalisation agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco that year, collectively known as the Abraham Accords. Yoav Galant, defence Israel’s new defence minister Yoav Galant is a former general, a staunch ally of Netanyahu and a vocal advocate of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. During a long career in the military, the 64-year-old oversaw Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and later commanded “Operation Cast Lead”, an offensive against the enclave’s rulers Hamas in 2008-2009. [caption id=“attachment_11899081” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Israel’s newly sworn prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks during a Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. AP[/caption] In 2015, Galant served as housing minister as part of the Kulanu party, though he later joined Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud in 2019. Galant served as both immigration and education minister between 2019 and 2021. Aryeh Deri, multiple posts Born in Morocco, Deri is a political veteran who co-founded the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and has held a Knesset seat almost uninterrupted for 30 years, as well as several ministerial posts. Late last year, Deri admitted tax evasion, subsequently promised to pay a fine of 180,000 shekels ($50,000) and relinquished his seat. He had previously been jailed for fraud. **Also read: Who are Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies in Israel’s coalition government?** But he won a seat in November’s legislative election and on Tuesday parliament passed a new law allowing anyone convicted of offences but not given a custodial sentence to serve as a minister. His comeback is made all the more spectacular because he will initially juggle three portfolios — interior, health and the post of deputy prime minister. Half-way through the term, he is slated to become finance minister, while remaining deputy premier. Bezalel Smotrich, multiple posts Head of the extreme-right Religious Zionism, Bezalel Smotrich will serve an initial stint as finance minister before handing over to Deri. He will also oversee civilian affairs in the occupied West Bank from a newly created second ministerial post in the defence ministry. He has held a Knesset seat since 2015 and verbally defended his wife when she declared that she did not want to give birth in the proximity of Arab women in a maternity hospital. Itamar Ben Gvir, national security A veteran of the extreme right, Ben Gvir has six children, entered parliament in April 2021 and heads the Jewish Power party. He was charged dozens of times in his adolescence for inciting hatred and violence. [caption id=“attachment_11899101” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Itamar Ben Gvir advocates the annexation of the West Bank, occupied since 1967 by Israel, and wants to transfer Arab Israelis he deems disloyal to neighbouring countries. AP[/caption] A resident of a settlement near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, he draws on support from and speaks on behalf of Israelis living outside major urban centres. Ben Gvir, 46, advocates the annexation of the West Bank, occupied since 1967 by Israel, and wants to transfer Arab Israelis he deems disloyal to neighbouring countries. Until a few years ago, he had a portrait in his living room of Baruch Goldstein, who massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers at a Hebron mosque in 1994. Yariv Levin, justice A Likud MP since 2009 and a prior holder of various ministerial positions, Levin, 53, is another close Netanyahu ally. A lawyer, he favours an overhaul of the judiciary and claims that some Supreme Court judges are beholden to the extreme left. Israel Katz, energy A 67-year-old Likud lawmaker who has held a seat since 1998, Katz has previously served stints as agriculture, transport, foreign affairs and finance minister under Netanyahu. He is seen as a potential eventual successor as Likud party leader. Nir Barkat, economy A 63-year-old businessman, Barkat became a millionaire thanks to his business selling anti-virus software and was mayor of Jerusalem for a decade until 2018, presiding over significant construction in the city’s annexed east. Another Likud lawmaker, he entered parliament in 2019 and does not hide his ambition of succeeding Netanyahu when the latter retires from political life. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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