Benjamin Netanyahu Becomes Israel's Defense Minister While Remaining Prime Minister

On Sunday evening, November 18, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would also take on the role of Defense Minister amid a political crisis in his coalition government. Netanyahu's announcement came after Naftali Bennett, leader of the 'Jewish Home' party, insisted he should be appointed Defense Minister following Avigdor Lieberman's resignation from the position due to dissatisfaction with the ceasefire with armed Palestinian groups in Gaza, which marked the beginning of a significant crisis in Netanyahu's coalition government. Netanyahu read his statement about starting his tenure as Defense Minister shortly after meeting with Moshe Kahlon, the Finance Minister and leader of one of the six parties allied with the government. Israeli media reported that the Netanyahu-Kahlon meeting was very brief due to its lack of success, but another meeting has apparently been scheduled for the coming days. Kahlon, leader of the 'Kulanu' party, has been calling for early parliamentary elections since the beginning of the government crisis and, given his special veto power in major decision-making, has also opposed Bennett's appointment as Defense Minister. Kahlon, whose new party has only ten seats in the Knesset after four years, emphasized that a government cannot be run with the shaky support of 61 out of 120 members of the Knesset. The issue of Netanyahu's government's survival and the three options ahead also faced strong opposition from other senior ministers affiliated with the Likud party. Concurrently with Netanyahu's announcement of taking over the Defense Ministry, Israeli media reported that Naftali Bennett, who was previously the Minister of Education, and Ayelet Shaked, the Minister of Justice, both senior ministers from the 'Jewish Home' party, would resign at a press conference on Monday, November 19. However, both ministers have refrained from responding to media reports for now. In the current situation, the exit of any party from the coalition and the resignation of its ministers would automatically topple the government. Despite the intensifying political crisis, Netanyahu stated on Sunday evening that he expects the leaders of the parties allied with his government to 'show responsibility' and consider the 'serious security situation.' He said, 'Toppling the government is irresponsibility; one should not abandon the path in the midst of battle; we are in one of the most complex security periods.' He referred to his 'successes' in fighting Iran, including 'bringing genuine documents of Iran's nuclear archive' to Israel and 'neutralizing the JCPOA, which everyone in the world thought could no longer be countered.' While reading this statement, Netanyahu, with a voice full of excitement, provided an account of his 'sacrifices' and open and 'still hidden' efforts to defend Israel's existence, stating, 'I have risked my life many times... the decision last week (for the ceasefire with Gaza) was also 'due to more important security issues.' He added that the people of Israel know that when he makes security decisions, it is out of honesty and in defense of the people, soldiers, and the existence of the country. Ayala Hasson, a commentator and presenter on Israel's Channel 10, suggested that this part of Netanyahu's speech 'smells of the proximity of war,' especially since he referred to dangers for other parts of Israel, apart from southern Israel, and the 'necessity of soldiers' sacrifices.' Despite Netanyahu's statements on Sunday evening, the political developments among the allied parties indicate that the crisis in his coalition government has deepened, and while according to law this government could continue until November of next year, the leaders of the main allied parties have remained steadfast in their positions. Meanwhile, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) announced that it would review a request from the 'Israel Our Home' party to dissolve the current parliamentary term at a meeting on Wednesday of this week. The parliamentary opposition has also supported the dissolution of the current Knesset. According to Ynet, the news site of Yedioth Ahronoth, if Bennett and Shaked resign, Wednesday could mark the last day of the current Knesset's term and the official end of Netanyahu's government. Netanyahu, 69, has served as Prime Minister for over 12 years across four governments; a three-year term in the late 1990s and continuously since 2009. All recent polls indicate that in the next elections, he is likely to remain Prime Minister and Likud will remain the ruling party unless an unexpected event, including related to his police investigations, obstructs him.