Netanyahu considers forum with Ben-Gvir to secure support for key bill – Israeli Politics
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering forming a new “Consultation and Update Forum” that would include National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. In return, Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party is expected to support a bill that is of interest to Netanyahu’s main political ally, Shas MP Arye Deri, the prime minister’s office confirmed on Tuesday.
After an initial report on negotiations on the new forum, the Prime Minister’s Office stated: “The leadership of the war rests with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and the security agencies, and key decisions are made by the entire National Security Cabinet – this has not changed and will not change. The possibility of forming an ‘advisory and updating forum’ is being discussed, which will neither replace the existing bodies nor limit their powers.”
In early July, Ben-Gvir made his support for the law contingent on his becoming part of a war cabinet directly responsible for war decisions.
Ben-Gvir and fellow far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich demanded to join the war cabinet throughout the war, but this demand grew louder after the previous war cabinet collapsed due to the departure of MK Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party from the government in June. The prime minister is now conducting the war based on ad hoc “security assessments.”
The Shas bill is a watered-down version of a law known as the “Rabbi Law.” The law provides that the government can create and fund jobs in religious service in municipalities and regional councils, in addition to those provided by the municipalities themselves.
Shas has stated that the aim of the bill is to increase and improve the number of religious services, but its opponents argue that the real intention is to give Shas, which controls the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the ability to appoint an unlimited number of its members to state-paid positions.
The alleged deal between Ben-Gvir and Deri is one of numerous other legislative deals being negotiated just before the three-month Knesset recess on Sunday.
Kosher mobile phone bill
Another such deal was reportedly struck between Ben-Gvir and the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties. Ben-Gvir would support a controversial bill called the “Kosher Cell Phone Law.” In return, the Haredi would support placing a law enforcement agency called the “National Unit for Enforcement of Planning and Building Laws” under Ben-Gvir’s jurisdiction.
The kosher cell phone bill would give a council of rabbis the ability to monitor the level of religious observance of its constituents by designating a number of cell phone numbers as “kosher phones” (i.e., without internet access).
The National Unit for Enforcement of Planning and Construction Laws, currently under the Ministry of Finance, was established in 2017 under a law called the Kamenetz Law, the purpose of which was to toughen law enforcement against illegal construction projects, particularly in the Arab sector. The unit has the power to impose fines and other sanctions against construction violations. Ben-Gvir has pushed for tougher law enforcement against construction violations, particularly among the Bedouin nomads in the south, and having the unit under his auspices will give him more power in this regard.
The Israeli Arab parties strongly oppose Ben-Gvir’s takeover of the unity and are trying behind the scenes to prevent this step.
Later, the Otzma Jehudit party released a statement saying: “In response to inquiries from journalists, we would like to clarify that negotiations between Otzma Jehudit and Likud on the inclusion of Minister Ben-Gvir in a smaller forum are still ongoing and no agreement has yet been reached. We also stress that Minister Ben-Gvir’s demand to join a forum that will play a role in shaping policy and establishing strategic principles regarding the war remains unchanged.”
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