Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara Netanyahu greeting supporters at an election night event for the Likud party on November 1, 2022 in Jerusalem (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Although a full coalition deal between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud, the largest party in the Knesset (Israeli parliament), and Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party has yet to be fully agreed, an annex to the coalition deal details which cabinet posts the far-right party will receive.
In addition to taking responsibility for security, Ben-Gvir's party will also take the heritage portfolio, the role of deputy minister in the Ministry of Economy, the chair of the Knesset’s Public Security Committee, a rotating chairmanship of the Special Committee for the Israeli Citizens’ Fund (which oversees state revenue from gas drilling), and an altered portfolio of the Development of the Negev, Galilee and National Fortitude Ministry (unofficial English translation), the Times of Israel reports.
The appointment of the extremist politician to security roles comes in the wake of two bombings in Jerusalem on Wednesday, which took the life of 16-year-old Aryeh Schupak and injured 20.
In a statement, Ben-Gvir said that the agreement is “a big step toward signing a full coalition agreement and establishing a full right-wing government."
He added on Twitter (translated from Hebrew): "Otzma Yehudit received tonight the tools to restore security to the citizens of the State of Israel, to take care of the residents of the Negev, the Galilee, and the periphery, and to strengthen the Jewish heritage and identity.
"We will do everything to keep what we promised. It's time for a full-fledged right-wing government!"
Aryeh Shtsupak, age 16, was killed in the Jerusalem bombings this week
The agreement shows that coalition talks are advancing, despite the slow progress since the 1 November election that delivered the right-wing Netanyahu-led bloc a 64-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Negotiations with the other right-wing parties are continuing.
It was reported yesterday that Netanyahu will offer Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party the opportunity to oversee Israel’s civil administration in the West Bank.
Ben-Gvir is a subscriber to the Kahanist ideology, which argues that non-Jews should not have voting rights in Israel, and he has described Israeli-Arabs as enemies of both Jews and the Israeli state.
In February 2019, Mr Ben Gvir advocated the expulsion of Arab-Israelis who “are not loyal” to the state and his party supports the deportation of "Arab extremists" regardless of citizenship, including Party Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh, and the Neturei Karta Jewish antizionist sect.
However, he has previously said that he was wrong to support the deportation of all Arabs from Israel during his youth.
The party supports total annexation of the West Bank, opposes Palestinian statehood and urges the end of the Oslo accords. It also backs legal immunity for IDF soldiers and wishes to ease restrictions on its rules of engagement.
Israeli Labor leader Merav Michaeli delivering a speech at the Labour Friends of Israel annual lunch on Tuesday (Photo: Jeff Gilbert)
In a speech in London on Tuesday, the leader of Israel's left-wing Labor Party, Merav Michaeli, promised to “fight the destructive agenda of the new government”, which she said "drives Israelis and Palestinians further apart and gives an excuse to avoid the compromises necessary for the path to peace.”
She described the election results as “deeply disappointing”, but she asked supporters in the UK “to stand by us, stand with us, we need you. And the wider Israeli public also needs your support”.
Meanwhile, the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) in the UK released a statement on Tuesday expressing serious concern about the likely new government of Israel, saying that Itamar Ben-Gvir and fellow far-right politician Bezalel Smotrich "do not represent the Jewish values we hold dear."
"Likely Cabinet Ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich do not represent the Jewish values we hold dear. We unequivocally condemn their anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism and their homophobia."
"We will make representations to the Israeli Embassy in London, to discuss these issues and the concerns of Jewish students in the strongest possible terms, and urge our communal partners to follow. We will stand up for the Israel that we want to see in the world."
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