When a swearing-in ceremony for Israel's 32nd government was held in the Knesset (parliament) on Tuesday evening, the incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to gain fruits from his recent persisting efforts for a broad-based coalition.
BIGGEST CABINET
Netanyahu presented to the lawmakers what he said a stable national unity coalition, which can be the largest cabinet in Israeli history with some 30 ministers and at least another six deputy ministers.
"Netanyahu had done everything in his power to create a stable coalition as possible amid concerns a narrow right-wing alliance would be unable to survive for long," Daniel Diker, a senior policy analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs told Xinhua on Tuesday.
According to coalition deals signed with Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party Chairman Avigdor Lieberman will be given the position of foreign minister and deputy prime minister.
Center-left Labor party leader Ehud Barak will retain his current position as defense minister and will take deputy prime minister as well, while ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas Chairman Eli Yishai would accept the minister of interior with the ceremonial role of deputy prime minister.
Daniel Hershkowitz, the chairman of national religious party Habayit Hayehudi, will be granted the science portfolio. "He actually sacrificed in a sense the benefits of important positions in order to bring other factions in." Diker said.
Netanyahu, a former Israeli premier, was tasked with forming the cabinet though his Likud party won only 27 seats in the February vote - one less than Kadima party, as he was thought to have a better chance at rallying support of at least 61 seats needed for a coalition in the parliament.
Netanyahu now secures 69 seats in the 120-member Knesset, 27 from his Likud, 15 from Yisrael Beiteinu, 11 from Shas, 13 from Labor, and 3 from Habayit Hayehudi.
LABOR BALANCE
Without Labor party, the Likud-led coalition could be seen as leaning too much towards the right.
Netanyahu provided Labor Chairman Barak with a bountiful offer in order to bring him in and keep the coalition balanced.
Labor, the once-dominant party that suffered its worst-ever showing in the Feb. 10 election, should get five ministries, according to the deal reached by Netanyahu and Barak.
Barak had initially objected to joining a Netanyahu-led government, but in a stark about-face he argued last week that Labor's participation was in Israel's interests.
However, Labor's move also serves its own interest.
"Labor could be less important if it become part of the opposition, and Barak will not be the chairman of the opposition. The chairwoman of Kadima Tzipi Livni would lead the opposition," Diker explained, adding "according to Israel's political values, being the chairperson of the opposition is a very respectable job."
Asked whether different guidelines between Labor and right-wing parties could disturb the coalition, Diker noted that Labor actually "is not that left from a foreign policy point of view."
"For example, Lieberman and Barak are not far apart in the issue of Iran, Syria and Palestine," he added.
"Lieberman said he is in favor of a two-state solution with the Palestinians. The Shas party has been showing very accommodating in foreign policy. And none of the coalition partners would compromise on the issue of Jerusalem," said Diker, adding "so I believe that it is a broad and stable coalition."
BUDGET STRUGGLE
For Netanyahu, the first challenge of maintaining the stable national unity government is to meet the demands of the coalition partners, which will cost taxpayers an estimated 6.5 billion shekels (approximately 1.58 billion U.S. dollars) over the next few years.
Israeli outgoing Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On warned that the commitments cannot be met in light of a growing budget deficit and a deepening economic crisis.
The state budget is already headed to a deficit of 45 billion to 50 billion shekels (approximately 10.97 billion to 12.19 billion dollars) this year as a result of falling tax receipts and the costs resulting from Operation Cast Lead and other past and future demands from the defense establishment, according to Shlomo Maoz, chief economist at Excellence Nessuah Investment House in Tel Aviv.
"I don't believe that Netanyahu will be able to get approval by the Knesset - in view of fierce opposition by the Treasury - for all the coalition commitments he has made," said Maoz.
Source:Xinhua
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