Yair Netanyahu, the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to be appointed to a senior position in the World Zionist Organization.
Netanyahu’s son will serve as head of the WZO's Public Diplomacy Department a position expected to include a monthly salary of tens of thousands of shekels.
Netanyahu's appointment is being promoted by Minister Miki Zohar, who is conducting the negotiations on behalf of the Likud and is supported by the Prime Minister himself as part of the political agreements in the national institutions.
The announcement of the expected appointment sparked strong reactions from parties in the opposition that had previously signed a partnership agreement with right-wing factions in the World Zionist Congress. These factions are now reconsidering their position.
The Yesh Atid party issued a sharp response, stating, “We were stunned by the disgraceful decision to appoint Yair Netanyahu to a senior role in Zionist institutions. Yesh Atid will not sign any such agreement within these institutions.”
Amid the backlash, the concluding discussions within the institutions of the World Zionist Organization ended without a vote or formal approval of Yair Netanyahu’s appointment. For now, the decision has been postponed by two weeks.
The appointment, along with a series of appointments of other right-wing representatives, was set to come into effect on Thursday.
Per the agreement, the right-wing bloc will increase its power and influence in the national institutions, including the Jewish Agency, KKL-JNF, and the World Zionist Organization.
It also appears that Rabbi Doron Perez, the current Executive Chairman of the World Mizrahi, whose son, Daniel, fell on October 7th, will be appointed as Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, replacing Yaakov Hagoel. In the second half of his term, Rabbi Perez is expected to alternate with a representative of Yesh Atid, who has yet to be selected.