Netanyahu to name new foreign minister on Sunday

Netanyahu has been in charge of multiple major portfolios, including foreign affairs and defense.

By David Jablinowitz, World Israel News

On the heels of a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will name a new foreign minister for cabinet approval on Sunday.

The petition had complained that Netanyahu was holding on to too many crucial ministerial portfolios simultaneously to do the job properly. In addition to serving as prime minister and foreign minister, he also holds the defense and health portfolios.

Netanyahu has served as foreign minister throughout the term of this current government, which began in 2015. He assumed the role of defense minister after Avigdor Liberman resigned in November.  He took on the role of health minister as part of political maneuvering within his government coalition.

The new foreign minister is expected to come from within the ranks of Netanyahu’s own Likud party. The current government will be in power only until a new coalition is formed after the April 9th Knesset election.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel said in response, “We welcome the apparent appointment that came only under the sword of the Supreme Court, and we hope that it will be implemented.”

Netanyahu has thrived on the joint role as prime minister and foreign minister as he promotes a campaign to normalize relations with more countries and lobbies for the transfer of embassies in Israel from the Tel Aviv area to Jerusalem on the heels of the U.S. move.

On Wednesday and Thursday, he was attending a U.S.-Polish-sponsored conference in Warsaw on stability in the Middle East, holding contacts with officials from Arab countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations.