Knesset to vote on increased number of ministers
High Court rejects Yesh Atid petition against government expansion; Bayit Yehudi receives NIS 50 million for settlements.
After a unanimous cabinet vote approved the expansion of the government to include more than its current 18 ministers on Sunday, the outgoing Knesset will discuss and vote on the issue Monday, effectively changing one of Israel's Basic Laws.
If approved, the change will only be relevant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's incoming government. Future governments would still be limited to 18 ministers.
The increase in ministers, pushed for by Netanyahu, will change a law championed by former Finance Minister Yair Lapid and passed by a previous Knesset that limited the number of minister seats in the government to 18.
Sources within Netanyahu's Likud party claim that the prime minister aims to add just two ministers to his new government, bringing the total to 20. The text passed by the government on Sunday however, includes no limit on the number of ministers or deputies that can be appointed by Netanyahu.
Increasing the number of ministers and deputies will give Netanyahu more bargaining power in securing a coalition agreement between the fractured right-wing partners in his new government which will hold just 61 seats in the Knesset - a majority of one.
Lapid and his Yesh Atid party petitioned the High Court of Justice on Sunday against Likud's decision to increase the number of ministers, saying the court should handle the matter with urgency to prevent a "trampling of the rules of democracy day by day."
The court however, announced Monday that the petition had been rejected, paving the way for the Knesset to approve the expansion of the government.
Meanwhile, Bayit Yehudi, led by outgoing Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, formally signed a coalition deal with the Prime Minister on Sunday evening.
Included in the agreement is an extra NIS 50 million for the settlement division, to be run by Bennett's party in the new government. The agreement of increased funds comes despite a review by the Attorney General in February that called for an end to the already expensive funding of settlements.
The deal between Likud and Bayit Yehudi includes several other controversial arrangements, including the passage of legislation that would require NGOs in Israel to receive approval from the highest levels of government before being exempt from taxes.
