Israel: Netanyahu delays inauguration of new unity government amid infighting over cabinet posts

Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to postpone the swearing-in of Israel’s controversial new unity government just hours before the ceremony was expected to start, amid squabbling over ministerial posts within his Likud party.

After weeks of tense negotiations, the embattled premier had hammered out a power-sharing deal with his rival-turned-ally Benny Gantz, and secured the support of his elections partners, giving him the 61-seat majority needed to form a ruling coalition.

The incoming cabinet, which comprises of 32 ministers and is Israel’s largest, was supposed to be inaugurated late on Thursday, ending a nearly 18-month deadlock that has brought the country to a virtual standstill.

But with just a few hours to go, Mr Netanyahu requested the session be postponed until Sunday as Likud members bickered over who would be appointed to the cabinet.

Israeli media reported that several Likud lawmakers were so furious they had decided to boycott the inauguration.

“Prime minister Netanyahu asked Gantz to postpone the swearing-in ceremony until Sunday so as to enable him to finalise ministerial appointments within Likud,” read a joint statement released by Likud and Mr Gantz’s Blue and White party.

“Gantz agreed to Netanyahu’s request,” it added.

Blue and White had initially opposed the postponement, with Mr Gantz insisting the swearing-in take place at all costs, according to Israeli media.

Mr Netanyahu has billed the incoming government as an emergency body that would break the political stalemate and bring rival factions together to fight the deadly coronavirus, after three inconclusive elections left the country leaderless once again.

But it has sparked controversy as Mr Gantz, the country’s ex-army chief, had initially vowed never to join forces with Mr Netanyahu, after he was indicted on multiple corruptions charges, which he denies.

Critics have said the sole purpose of the government is to keep Mr Netanyahu in office: under the deal he remains prime minister for 18 more months before Mr Gantz, the new defence minister, takes over and they swap roles for the remaining 18-month period.

Meanwhile, bitter battles have erupted within the coalition over ministerial appointments.

Likud is set to take the finance, education and health ministries, key positions during the coronavirus outbreak, while the country’s foreign and justice portfolios have been given to Blue and White.

However Israeli media reported that many key Likud lawmakers were upset by the decisions made, and some had even revolted saying they would boycott the swearing-in ceremony.

Channel 12’s political commentator Amit Segal called the delay “less a drama, and more a farce”.

Israel has been led by a toothless caretaker government since early 2019 as no political leader was able to scrape together enough seats across three separate elections.

Mr Netanyahu’s popularity had been dented as he campaigned under the shadow of three graft trials.

Mr Gantz, who also failed to drum up enough support on his own, had initially sworn never to sit with a prime minister on trial but made a dramatic U-turn earlier this year with the spectre of a fourth election on the horizon.

And so, it remains unclear in which direction the unwieldy new government, populated by political rivals, will take the country.

Under the divisive power-sharing deal, for an initial six-month period, the emergency government is only be permitted to bring legislation to the parliament that concerns the fight against Covid-19, while a negotiating committee hammers out its “policy outline”.

Israel has implemented one of the strictest lockdowns as 16,500 people were infected with the deadly disease and 262 more have died.

But analysts say far from being preoccupied with Covid-19, which Israel appears to have under control, the sole focus of the body will be ensuring Mr Netanyahu stays in power.

Amos Harel, a defence expert at Israeli daily Haaretz, said that Mr Netanyahu is “the only political persona that matters” and warned that, despite the deal, Mr Gantz many never make prime minister.

“The coronavirus no longer seems to be a huge issue as it was a month ago. The economic and financial complications of the lockdown are more challenging than the health struggle,” he told The Independent.

“In the end, this is a national unity government to save Netanyahu. Everything should be looked through the lens of what is best for his survival.

“There is nothing balanced about the relationship between Netanyahu and Gantz.”

Mr Gantz, the country’s ex-army chief, and Mr Netanyahu have been bitter rivals for the last 18 months and disagree on many key issues which may flare in the coming months.

The incumbent prime minister has vowed to immediately push ahead with the annexation of the strategic Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, after receiving what appeared to be the green light from the Trump administration.

Mr Gantz has insisted that annexation will not be unilateral but instead implemented “in coordination with the international community”.

The debacle over the inauguration came a day after an extraordinary one-day trip by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who flew to Israel despite coronavirus restrictions to discuss the pandemic, Donald Trump’s peace plan, annexation and Iran.

After the meetings with both Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gantz, state department officials were keen to downplay reports the purpose of the visit was to advance Israel’s immediate seizure of occupied territory, saying in a briefing they wanted to “dispel the notion that we flew halfway around the world to talk about annexation”.

Mr Netanyahu’s elections promise to immediately seize the strategic Jordan Valley has been heavily criticised by Jordan, Gulf states as well as the UK and the European Union, which is reportedly mulling sanctions.