Likud party leaders expressed anger over an expected lineup of a new cabinet led by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu after realizing that major ministerial portfolios could not be allocated to their party members.
Israeli media said that the party's leadership was infuriated after reports that Shas party leader Aryeh Deri could be named finance minister, and head of the Religious Zionism party Bezalel Smotrich as defense minister, and leader of the Jewish Power party Itamar Ben-Gvir as the internal security minister.
Netanyahu also reportedly plans to appoint the former ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, as Foreign Minister, which further exacerbated the situation.
Likud leaders knew that their coalition partners must eventually be given influential portfolios. Still, they need to understand why Netanyahu will appoint Dermer as foreign minister, even though he is not a member of the party or the Knesset.
Netanyahu is yet to form his cabinet. However, his associates are testing out several names to see the reaction of the political parties, which angered the Likud.
Several senior party officials said that Dermer's appointment would be an insult to party members.
Likud leaders know that the coalition parties do not demand the foreign affairs ministry and are not interested in it. This has increased their anger considering that Netanyahu proposed the position to Dermer only because he is his close friend.
Dermer has been the Prime Minister's advisor since his return to political life in 2003 when he was named the Minister of Finance. When Netanyahu became prime minister from 2009 until 2013, he chose Dermer as a political advisor and ambassador in Washington.
However, it is still undetermined whether the Likud leaders rejecting Dermer’s appointment will be able to stop it.
Netanyahu wants to name Dermer as a minister because he claims there are other important positions that Likud officials can occupy. He may also prefer to refrain from handing this post to one of his potential opponents within the party.
Netanyahu and his team continue their negotiations with the right-wing parties to reach an agreement to form the new government and present it to the Knesset.
On Sunday, he received an official letter from President Isaac Herzog to form a government that was supposed to be announced this week. Still, it was postponed following disputes over the ministerial positions, the judiciary, the Supreme Court, budgets, and religious schools.
