Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday night secured the final votes needed to form a government, minutes before his deadline to do so, and called President Isaac Herzog to finalize his rise to power.
Netanyahu now has a week to swear in his government. The parliament plenum only meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, the confidence vote could only happen the following Monday. This means the government must be sworn in a week later, Monday, January 2.
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Itamar Ben-Gvir; Benjamin Netanyahu; Yitzchak Goldknopf
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky; Kobi Koankas)
This also gives Netanyahu's incoming government time to finish passing three controversial bills into law.
The top of the list seems to be what is referred to as the "Ben-Gvir law," named after far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, which would allow the lawmaker, who is expected to serve as national security minister, expanded authority over the country's police. The bill is controversial, with several politicians and police leaders speaking out against it.
Other laws the incoming coalition hopes to pass include amendments to the Basic Law. One such amendment would allow the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party Aryeh Deri to serve as a minister despite his criminal conviction.