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Netanyahu to Appoint Saar as Interior Minister in Addition to Foreign Affairs Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will submit the appointment of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar as the new Interior Minister for government approval on Wednesday. Sa'ar, who previously served as Interior Minister between 2013 and 2014, is expected to hold both ministerial roles concurrently.
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What happened
- 01Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will propose appointing Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar as the new Interior Minister on Wednesday.
- 02Gideon Sa'ar is expected to hold both the foreign affairs and interior ministry portfolios concurrently.
- 03Likud MK Ofir Katz declined the interior minister position to focus on coordinating the right-wing bloc in the Knesset.
- 04The Interior Ministry has been operating without a minister, preventing the exercise of authorities exclusive to the role.
- 05Prime Minister Netanyahu previously committed to the High Court of Justice to appoint an Interior Minister.
- 06The political moves coincide with the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset and new government coalition talks.
- 07Netanyahu is working to prevent an alternative government and keep ultra-Orthodox parties from joining a rival coalition.
Before offering the position to Sa'ar, Netanyahu extended the offer to Likud MK Ofir Katz, the coalition whip. Katz declined the role, choosing instead to focus on coordinating the parliamentary efforts of the right-wing bloc in the Knesset during a sensitive political period.
The Interior Ministry has been operating without a minister. According to The Jerusalem Post, the role has been vacant since Shas MK Moshe Arbel resigned in May, while Arutz Sheva reported that the ministry has been without a minister for 13 months despite Netanyahu's commitment to the High Court of Justice to appoint one. The vacancy has prevented the exercise of certain authorities exclusive to the role.
The political maneuvering comes as the 26th Knesset is sworn in and new government coalition talks begin. Netanyahu is reportedly working to prevent the formation of an alternative government, with Kikar HaShabbat reporting that Netanyahu's confidant Natan Eshel engaged in secret discussions with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas to counter support for a rival coalition.
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Netanyahu to Appoint Saar as Interior Minister in Addition to Foreign Affairs Post