In Next Gov’t, Netanyahu To Cut To Chase And Hold All Portfolios

Experts expressed diverse opinions on the wisdom of such a move.

Jerusalem, November 19 – Coalition troubles that led to the impending collapse of the current Likud-led government has the prime minister considering a policy that upon reelection will see him retaining every ministry to forestall the instability that brought about the present collapse, instead of the mere five he now holds.

Sources close to Binyamin Netanyahu disclosed today (Monday) that in the likely event of elections before the government’s term ends in late 2019, he intends to keep every single portfolio to himself, in light of what aides called the “mess” that resulted from giving the Ministry of Defense to Avigdor Lieberman, who resigned last week over the government’s policy regarding attacks from the Gaza Strip. Holding all the portfolios will prevent such moves from toppling the government, Netanyahu hopes.

Aides and advisers told reporters that in addition to the current ministries for which Netanyahu has not appointed a dedicated minister – Communications, Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, Economy, and now Defense – he will, if reelected, refrain from assigning to others the ministries of the Interior, Justice, Health, Religious Services, Labor, Social Affairs, Tourism, Education, Culture and Sport, Science and Technology, Immigrant Absorption, Public Security, Agriculture, Housing, Finance, Development of the Periphery, Environmental Protection, and Transport. Instead, they explained, the prime minister will retain ultimate authority in all those offices. Polls indicate Netanyahu’s reelection the most likely outcome of elections.

Experts expressed diverse opinions on the wisdom of such a move. “It’s creative, I’ll give him that,” allowed Israel Radio political commentator Hanan Krystal. “And considering how little the ministries actually do when there’s a discrete minister in charge of each one, I can’t see them functioning any worse than they do now. In fact an administrative bottleneck might be just the ticket to keep them from implementing anything as destructive and stupid as they tend to.”

“What’s he going to woo coalition partners with?” wondered former prime minister and former Labor Party chief Ehud Barak, who served as Minister of Defense under Netanyahu from 2009 to 2012. “I mean, hypothetically. If there’s, say, a guy who holds the distinction of being the country’s most decorated soldier, and even dethroned Bibi once in elections, and he ends up making a political comeback at the head of, for example, the Labor Party, there has to be some incentive for a political alliance – an incentive that’s attractive enough for a national unity government to make sense. You know, for argument’s sake.”

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