Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a rotation in the post of Foreign Minister in his new government, Channel 12 News reported on Friday.
According to the report, the solution being considered is that the Foreign Minister in the first two years of the government will be a senior member of the Likud, and former Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer will be appointed to the position for the second half of the term of the government.
Dermer has already made it clear that he will enter the government only to be the Foreign Minister, but it is possible that he will be appointed a special envoy in the first two years of the rotation, according to Channel 12.
As for the question of who will be the Foreign Minister for the first part of the term, it is possible that it will be Yisrael Katz, as part of Netanyahu's efforts to break up the group of “rebels” that has been speaking out against him within the Likud. In addition to Katz being appointed Foreign Minister, MK Dudi Amsalem is expected to serve as Speaker of the Knesset and David Bitan will serve as chairman of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee.
Netanyahu has faced backlash from within the Likud over his desire to appoint Dermer as Foreign Minister.
Several senior officials in the Likud Party recently warned, "If Netanyahu appoints Dermer as Foreign Minister, this will be an audacious appointment which derides the Likud voters, who chose people in the primaries. It is also disrespectful of the Likud MKs, who invested in the primaries."
Meanwhile, according to Friday’s report, despite the sharp criticism in the Likud over Netanyahu agreeing to transfer large parts of the Education Ministry’s responsibilities to four different ministries, MK Miri Regev is in line to be appointed the next Minister of Education. As compensation for some of her powers being transferred elsewhere, Regev will receive the chairmanship of the Committee for Ceremonies and Symbols, a position that she previously held as Minister of Culture and Sports. This mainly means responsibility for official Israeli ceremonies and Independence Day events.
MK Eli Cohen will likely be appointed to the position of Minister of Transportation and MK Ofir Katz is expected to serve as the chairman of the coalition.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)