Netanyahu to Lapid: Join Israeli war government, receive Justice Ministry - report

By ELIAV BREUER

JANUARY 31, 2024 19:36

Updated: JANUARY 31, 2024 20:03

Israeli foreign minister and Head of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid walks next to Head of opposition and head of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu at the assembly hall for a special session in memory of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, on November 8, 2021. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90) — Israeli foreign minister and Head of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid walks next to Head of opposition and head of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu at the assembly hall for a special session in memory of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, on November 8, 2021.

(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

According to the report, Yesh Atid's joining the government would not entail removing other parties from the government but would entail a redistribution of the government ministries.

The Likud offered the opposition party Yesh Atid to place one of its members as justice minister instead of current Justice Minister Yariv Levin in exchange for it joining the government, Kan journalist Ze'ev Kam reported a "senior Likud minister" as saying on Wednesday.

According to the report, Yesh Atid's joining the government would not entail removing other parties from the government but would entail a redistribution of the government ministries in order to "broaden it even more during the period of the war and afterward." This would include removing additional ministries from the current coalition members and giving them to Yesh Atid.

A similar offer was made to National Unity if it will commit to staying in the government for a longer period, the report added. National Unity joined the government a few days after the Hamas massacre on October 7. It entered five ministers into the government, but all are currently ministers-without-portfolio. National Unity has said that it plans to leave the government when the security situation stabilizes.

The report concluded that "(The Likud's) giving up on the justice ministry would mainly be a symbolic act after the difficult struggle during the past year over Levin's judicial reforms."

Spokespersons for Yesh Atid, the Likud, and Levin all denied the report.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir seen at the Knesset on January 31, 2024 (credit: FLASH90)

A brewing crisis within Israel's coalition

The report came amidst a brewing crisis within the coalition, as far-right Otzma Yehudit chairman National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir repeated on Tuesday a threat that he made a number of times this week, to leave the government if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to what Ben-Gvir claimed was a "reckless" deal to free Israeli hostages in exchange for a lengthy ceasefire and release of large numbers of Palestinian terrorists incarcerated in Israel.

Lapid said on Monday that his party would serve as a "safety net" in order to push through a hostage deal if necessary. In an interview on Channel 12 on Tuesday, Lapid clarified that he would agree to enter the government in order to free the hostages – but only if Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist Party would leave it. The Likud said in response that Lapid was "pushing for an immediate end to the war, (but) without total victory - we will not agree to this."