Israeli Parliament Set to Transfer Interior Ministry Powers to Prime Minister Netanyahu

The Knesset is expected to approve the transfer of Interior Ministry powers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening. This move will allow Netanyahu to approve a series of appointments within the Interior Ministry, recommended by the Shas party and its leader, former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. The Knesset will enter an election recess on Friday, July 17, transitioning the government into a caretaker status, which is expected to exercise restraint in government appointments.

Among the appointments Netanyahu will oversee are the Interior Ministry representative who will chair the Committee for Preferred Areas, a professional planning and construction expert to serve as the committee’s planner, the head of the Planning Administration within the Interior Ministry, and the Interior Ministry’s representative on the National Planning and Building Council, who will also chair the council. Additionally, the Prime Minister will gain authority over the distribution of the Fund for Reducing Disparities between Local Authorities and the allocation of government budgets to municipalities near Ben Gurion Airport.

Since Shas ministers left the government in summer 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin served as acting Interior Minister until the end of 2025. Currently, there is no permanent Interior Minister, and these powers have been transferred to the Prime Minister. However, Netanyahu cannot officially serve as minister due to ongoing criminal charges against him in the Jerusalem District Court.