No. of ministers 21 | ||
 | ||
Date formed 14 May 2015 (2015-05-14) Member parties LikudThe Jewish HomeKulanuShasUnited Torah JudaismYisrael Beiteinu | ||
The thirty-fourth government of Israel, also known as the Fourth Netanyahu Government, is the current government of Israel, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was formed after the March 2015 Knesset elections. The coalition that makes up the government, consisting of the parties Likud, United Torah Judaism, Shas, Kulanu and the Jewish Home, was submitted to the President of Israel just before the deadline on 6 May 2015. The government ministers were introduced, approved by the Knesset and sworn in on 14 May. The government deputy ministers were sworn in on 19 May.
Contents
- Policy guidelines
- Coalition agreements
- Kulanu
- The Jewish Home
- Future changes
- Cabinet members
- Security cabinet
- References
Between them, the parties hold 61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. The elections that led to the formation of the government were a result of events on 2 December 2014, when Netanyahu dismissed two of his ministers whose parties' members subsequently resigned from the 33rd government of Israel, dissolving the government ahead of schedule.
Policy guidelines
The policy guidelines for the 34th government include but are not limited to:
Coalition agreements
Terms of coalition agreements are considered binding law in Israel. As such, parties must adhere to the agreements made with the Prime Minister when the coalition was formed.
Changes to the responsibilities of official positions include the relinquishment of the Justice Minister's ability to appoint judges to religious courts. Also, the Religious Affairs Minister will not have control over affairs connected to conversion to Judaism; that will be under the purview of the Prime Minister's office.
Kulanu
Kulanu agreed to support the implementation of the Norwegian Law, allowing members of the Knesset to exit the Knesset upon receiving a post in the cabinet.
Likud agreed to raise the salary of soldiers, give unemployment insurance to self-employed workers and set a biennial budget by October 2015.
Kulanu is also permitted to vote against the coalition if it disagrees with legislation that would reform the Israeli Supreme Court.
The Jewish Home
The agreement includes an increase of NIS 630 million ($163.4 million) for the education budget, an allocation of NIS 1 billion ($259 million) to raise soldiers' pay during their third year of service, a budget increase for Ariel University, which is in the West Bank, and support for the so-called NGO bill.
The agreement also stipulates that all obligations and commitments made to increase Haredi institutions will have to come from the Finance Ministry and not the Education Ministry.
Future changes
Members of the Likud party anticipate possible additions to the coalition, including Likud member Gilad Erdan, who did not accept the ministerial position that was offered to him by Netanyahu, and Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beitenu party decided not to join the coalition. Additionally, Likud member Tzahi Hanegbi, who had to settle for a Knesset committee chairmanship, is expected to gain a ministerial position after one year, when he switches places with Ofir Akunis.
Cabinet members
Deri resigned his post as Minister of the Economy reportedly over an unpopular gas monopoly deal. Netanyahu took over the portfolio and promised to speed up the deal. Netanyahu resigned his post as Minister of Communications following an investigation into his relationship with the media, and was replaced temporarily by Tzachi Hanegbi.
Security cabinet
See also Security Cabinet of Israel.