As of Monday, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Communications Minister, and Regional Cooperation Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud), is also Minister of Economy and Industry, as has been approved by the Knesset in a vote of 50 to 46. The ministry, previously held by Aryeh Deri (Shas) was vacated by the latter who was unwilling to use legal technicalities to bypass the state’s anti-trust regulations regarding the big offshore natural gas deal. In the meantime Deri became Interior Minister—a post he left in disgrace a couple of decades ago—and now Bibi received his abandoned portfolio.
Needless to say, the opposition didn’t like it, and MK Dov Khanin, the lone Jew on the United Arab List, protested the insolence of this government, “asking the Knesset to perpetuate the service of a minister who does not report to the Knesset … and doesn’t even shows up at the Economy ministry.” Khanin also shared his anger over the fact that the minister has been ignoring construction site accidents, focusing instead on promoting the interests of his tycoon friends.
MK Meirav Michali (Zionist Camp) suggested it was Netanyahu’s paranoia that caused him to hold on to all these portfolios but not do any work on them, “because of his whims and personal interests,” which ends up costing the country heavily.
Several other opposition MKs each spoke of the fact that one person, no matter how gifted, can’t possibly run this many offices, then they voted and the coalition won.