The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has given this Sunday to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the command to form a government after the victory of the coalition led by the former president in the legislative elections earlier this month, although he acknowledged that it has not been an «easy decision» because of the legal cases that weigh on Netanyahu.
«It is not lost on me that there are ongoing legal proceedings against MP Netanyahu in the Jerusalem District Court. I don’t want to trivialize this situation. He is on trial. It was not an easy decision,» Herzog acknowledged at a press conference regarding the charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery against the former prime minister.
Herzog has seized on a decision of the Supreme Court that only prohibits the handing over of these powers to those who have been finally convicted.
«The Supreme has expressed itself clearly on the matter of pending indictments against a Knesset member nominated to form a government,» Herzog recalled of what happened in April last year when his predecessor, Reuven Rivlin, assigned that same task to Netanyahu, then already under investigation.
In his first statements, Netanyahu has declared his intention to become «a prime minister for everyone.» «It reflects what I believe in and what guides my actions,» he added, in comments reported by the ‘Times of Israel’.
This Sunday, Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, receives for the eighth time the legally required mandate of an Israeli president to try to form a government, for which he will have 28 days plus an additional 14 days at the president’s discretion if he does not succeed at first.
The consultation process has been marked by statements by Herzog captured by an open microphone in which he said that «everyone is anxious» about the possibility of the leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben Gvir, taking a portfolio in the Executive.
The Israeli president conveyed these concerns Thursday to Ben Gvir himself, whom he told that he has «a certain image that worries in many places about the treatment of Arabs in the state and in the region.» «World leaders are asking questions,» he stressed.
«I am asked in the Muslim world about the Temple Mount. This is a sensitive issue,» Herzog said, referring to the Esplanade of the Mosques by the name by which Jews know the site, as reported by ‘The Times of Israel’.
In response, Ben Gvir said that he «does not treat the Arabs as a monolith», although he stressed that «there must be order». «We are not saying that the Temple Mount is not sacred to others, but we have to remember that it is our heart and our history. We are against racism and you can’t tell a Jew that he can’t go because he is Jewish. I am for equal rights,» he concluded.
Ben Gvir has been accused in the past of inciting violence and stirring up tensions with Palestinians. The MP has made numerous visits to the Esplanade of the Mosques and supports allowing Jews to pray at the site, which is currently forbidden.
If appointed Minister of Public Security, Ben Gvir would be in charge of security operations at the Esplanade of the Mosques, located in the Old City of Jerusalem and the epicenter of tensions in recent months between Israelis and Palestinians, who protest against violations of the status quo at the site.
Also in the last hours, doubts have arisen about the role to be played by the leader of Religious Zionism, Bezazel Smotrich, who would have applied for the Defense portfolio, according to Kan News sources. However, other sources tell the media that Netanyahu would be more inclined to give the Ministry to someone from his Likud party and instead propose Smotrich for the Treasury office.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who has reportedly been considered for the Finance Ministry, will now probably get the Interior Ministry, which he headed in the past, according to Channel 12 and ‘Yedioth Aharonoth’ sources. The Shas party would also receive the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
