Israel’s former Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, met Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Channel 12 News reported on Friday.
Officials in the Likud said that Dermer expressed a willingness to join the government - but only if he is appointed as Foreign Minister. According to the report, Netanyahu really wants Dermer in the government, but understands that a decision such this could create a big headache for him within his party.
In order to solve this, a creative proposal has been put forward in the last 24 hours - to appoint two Foreign Ministers. Netanyahu will have to decide if Dermer is important enough to him to push out senior Likud members.
The report noted that the Likud only has six senior positions left to distribute among its members, one of which – the Defense Ministry – has been reserved for Yoav Galant. The others are the Foreign Ministry, the Justice Ministry, the Transportation Ministry with reduced powers, the Education Ministry with reduced powers, and the position of Speaker of the Knesset. There are 10 senior Likud officials competing for these positions.
Two weeks ago, it was reported that Netanyahu is considering a rotation in the post of Foreign Minister in his new government.
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 Dermer will be appointed to the position for the second half of the term of the government.
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."
(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.)