Haim Katz
Haim KatzSpokesperson

Minister Haim Katz (Likud) will temporarily receive the National Security, Heritage, and the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience portfolios after the Otzma Yehudit party, which previously held them, left the coalition to protest the ceasefire and release of prisoners.

Prime Minister Netanyahu offered all of the portfolios to Justice Minister Yariv Levin who declined. He explained that the Justice portfolio demanded his full attention and additional portfolios would not allow that.

Netanyahu is not permitted to hold the portfolios and therefore he wished to pass the responsibility on to someone else. Netanyahu searched for a minister to hold the portfolios temporarily with the hope that Itamar Ben-Gvir's party would eventually return to the coalition.

Minister Katz will hold all three until other ministers who would be willing to serve in the positions temporarily.