(June 21, 2021) Following four consecutive elections in a two-year period, Israel’s 36th government was sworn in after receiving a vote of confidence by a majority of Knesset (Israel’s parliament) members. The new unity government is a rotating government with Naftali Bennett of the Yemina party serving as prime minister until August 27, 2023, when he will be replaced by Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party.
Unity Government Principles
According to the terms of the government, Bennett and Lapid will each serve as alternate prime ministers when not leading the government. The rotation arrangements and the principles governing the establishment of the unity government are contained in Coalition Agreement to Form a Unity Government in the 24th Knesset Between the Yemina and Yesh Atid Political Factions (main agreement), which was concluded on June 11, 2021, and is appended with a document signed by representatives of both the Yemina and Yesh Atid political factions.
The formation of a rotating government, in lieu of a government headed by one prime minister throughout its full term, was authorized under Basic Law: The Government (Amendment No. 8 and Temporary Provision), adopted by the Knesset on May 7, 2020. The Amendment Law regulates the tenure and operation of a rotating government, including the affiliation of its ministers with political blocs.
In addition to the main agreement, Yesh Atid signed six additional agreements with other political factions. All coalition partners are bound by requirements enumerated under the procedures governing the work of the unity government. (The procedures, all coalition agreements, and other relevant documents are available on the Knesset website.)
Coalition Agreements Between Yesh Atid and Members of the Unity Government
The agreement between Yemina and Yesh Atid identifies the Tikva Hadasha political faction as affiliated with the Yemina party bloc, and the political factions of Yesh Atid, Kahol Lavan, Labor, Israel Betenu, and Meretz as affiliated with the Yesh Atid political bloc. The agreement provides for equal voting power to each bloc and an equal number of representatives from each bloc on the Ministerial Committee for National Security in the prime minister’s office. Among other issues, the agreement designates ministerial assignments based on bloc affiliation and addresses representation on the Committee for the Selection of Judges. The parties committed themselves to approving a biannual state budget for 2021–22 within 145 days of the establishment of the government, and to approving a 2023–24 biannual budget later.
Among the issues Yesh Atid and Yemina agreed would be implemented by the unity government are the following:
- Eliminating and incorporating a number of existing ministries into the Foreign Ministry.
- Establishing a state commission to investigate the deadly crush at the Mount Meron religious celebrations.
- Constructing two new hospitals, a university in the Galilee, and an additional airport.
- Establishing a budget for unfunded students at Ariel University in the West Bank;
- Expanding the provision of health services, equipment, and technologies.
- Providing assistance to the hotel and tourism industry.
- Promoting a program to eradicate crime in the Arab sector.
- Promoting the deployment of fiber-optic cables in periphery towns and in the Arab sector.
- Improving services to vulnerable communities.
- Setting a national goal for raising the number of high-tech workers to 15% of the entire workforce by 2026.
- Splitting the positions of state prosecutor and attorney general.
- Promoting legislation to impose a two-term limit on the position of prime minister.
- Promoting the enactment of the Basic Law for legislation.
The parties also pledged to create competition in the field of Kashrut (Jewish dietary) services, reform the body that elects the chief rabbi of Israel, and allow conversion through regional and municipal rabbinical authorities instead of by the state rabbinate.
The coalition agreement between Yesh Atid and the United Arab List (Ra’am) is silent regarding the binding effect of the main agreement on Ra’am. Yesh Atid’s agreements with the Labor and Meretz political factions exclude the application of certain provisions of the main agreement, including the allocation of resources to ensure Israel’s national interests in Area C of the West Bank.