A proposal to appoint Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to a senior post in the World Zionist Organization triggered outrage and halted proceedings of the organization’s Standing Committee in Jerusalem on Wednesday night.
The younger Netanyahu was presented as a candidate for director of the WZO’s Information Department, a salaried position with the rank and benefits of a government minister. The full Zionist Congress was expected to vote on the appointment, but the session at Binyanei Ha’uma was suspended after the proposal drew angry reactions and surprise from delegates.
Following the uproar, Yesh Atid and the Democrats — two opposition parties that had signed a power-sharing deal with other factions — withdrew their support for the agreement. The document dividing positions within the Zionist institutions did not name individual nominees, and Netanyahu’s sudden inclusion reportedly caught participants off guard.
After Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and other opposition figures announced their withdrawal, the session ended without a vote or final signatures. Talks are expected to resume in two weeks.
According to officials in the World Zionist Organization, the prime minister had recently met delegates during a visit to New York and asked them to support Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar’s bid to become WZO chairman — a candidacy Zohar formally announced Wednesday. The officials said Netanyahu sought to replace current chairman Yaakov Hagoel, and that his son’s appointment clarified the motive.
If approved, Yair Netanyahu would receive the benefits of a cabinet minister, including an office, car, activity budget, and salary — minus four percent.
Though the nomination was not brought to a vote and now faces uncertainty, the position would allow Netanyahu to choose among several senior WZO departments, including those dealing with French-speaking communities, combating antisemitism, promoting Hebrew language education, or Zionist training programs.
Zohar accused the opposition of hypocrisy, saying, “How can they appoint dozens of associates and relatives to national institutions but try to block someone just because his last name is Netanyahu? This is vile persecution of Yair Netanyahu, who only wanted to advocate for Israel abroad.” He told delegates he would not withdraw the nomination “even if the prime minister asks me.”
Protesters gathered outside Binyanei Ha’uma during the meeting, holding signs reading, “Dad, I want an office too.”
Ynet reported that Netanyahu was not the only controversial nominee under discussion. Momo Deri, brother of Shas leader Aryeh Deri, was expected to be appointed co-chair of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) for five years. Aryeh Deri’s son, Yanki, was already appointed in 2020 as head of the WZO’s fundraising department, a post also ranked at ministerial level.
Yesh Atid said it was canceling its participation in the deal, calling the proposal “a disgrace.” The party said in a statement, “We were appalled to hear of the decision to appoint Yair Netanyahu to a senior position in the Zionist institutions. Yesh Atid will not sign any such agreement.” Lapid wrote on X, “It will not happen. Period.”
A senior Yesh Atid official said the moment Netanyahu’s name was mentioned, “all discussions in the Zionist Congress stopped. Everyone was in shock. The agreement is in jeopardy.” Another opposition source said, “Every faction selects its own representatives, but what Likud did here is deception. No one believed they would use the deal to secure a job for Yair Netanyahu.”
The Democrats party also condemned the plan, calling it “a corrupt and disgraceful appointment” and “another step in the destruction of Israel’s national institutions.” The party said Netanyahu “has devoted his life to incitement and division” and is “unfit to represent the Jewish people or benefit from public funds.”
A senior official in the Zionist institutions said Prime Minister Netanyahu had coordinated the move in secret with Zohar. “For two months Bibi has been working for Miki Zohar,” the official said. “He even canceled meetings before his visit with Trump in New York to meet with global Likud delegates. It was all to secure a job for his son.”
Delegates at Wednesday’s meeting said they were stunned when Zohar announced the nomination. “People thought they hadn’t heard correctly,” one participant said. “It took time before anyone understood what was happening.”
Appointments of relatives to senior positions in Israel’s national institutions are not new. Over the years, politicians from across the political spectrum have made similar moves. Yanki Deri’s appointment in 2020 drew criticism, as did past appointments of family members by other political figures, including Lapid and former Meretz minister Tamar Zandberg.