Who's who in Israel's new government

Israel's incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is swearing in his sixth government on Thursday, and the negotiations over ministerial appointments continued into the final hours.

Likud

Ex-military general and senior party member, Yoav Galant, was tapped as defense minister. Haim Katz will serve as tourism minister, Yoav Kisch as education minister, Avi Dichter will take the role of agriculture minister and Shlomo Karhi as communications minister.

After much speculation, it was announced shortly before Netanyahu took the podium on Thursday that Likud member Eli Cohen would be the next foreign minister, replacing outgoing prime minister Yair Lapid. According to Hebrew media reports, Cohen may rotate with fellow Likud member Israel Katz after two years. If not, Cohen will hold the position for the duration of the government.

Miri Regev will return to lead the transportation ministry, while Ofir Akunis will serve as science and technology minister and Miki Zohar as culture and sports minister. Former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat will serve as the country's economy minister and Yariv Levin will be the new justice minister. Gila Gamliel will be minister of intelligence, after the appointment is approved by the government next Monday.

Two of Likud's newest members — defectors from former prime minister Naftali Bennett's Yamina party, which led to the downfall of the outgoing government — Idit Silman and Amichai Chikli will serve as environmental protection minister and diaspora minister respectively. According to reports, Chikli will also be the head of the Bedouin Development and Settlement Authority.

Jewish Power

The leader of the far-right party, Itamar Ben-Gvir, will serve as the country's national security minister — an expanded version of the public security portfolio. On Wednesday, Israel's parliament passed a bill to give Ben-Gvir unprecedented control over Israel's police.

“We made history,” Ben-Gvir said immediately after the law was passed, promising it would enable “strong policing.”

Within the party, Yitzchak Wasserlauf will serve as Negev and Galilee minister, and Amichai Eliyahu as heritage minister. 

Shas

The leader of the ultra-Orthodox party, Aryeh Deri, will first serve as interior minister and health minister for the first two years of the government's term, after which he will take over the finance ministry from Bezalel Smotrich. A law passed on Tuesday morning allows Deri to be appointed minister, despite his conviction in January for tax offenses and a suspended prison sentence. 

Other portfolios given to Shas include: Yaakov Margi as the welfare minister and Michael Malkeili as the religious services minister. Additionally, several Shas members will serve as deputy ministers within the agriculture ministry, interior ministry and health ministry. 

Religious Zionism

Leader of the far-right party, Bezalel Smotrich, will serve as finance minister for the first two years of the government. Smotrich will then take over the interior ministry after the rotation with Deri. 

He will also serve as a minister within the defense ministry, a controversial position for the lawmaker. Early Tuesday morning, the Israeli parliament passed a new law giving Smotrich more control over policies in the West Bank, including settlements. 

Orit Strock, who made headlines earlier this week for saying doctors should be allowed to refuse providing treatments that go against their religious beliefs, will take the role of national missions minister. Additionally, Ofir Sofer will serve as aliyah and absorption minister. 

United Torah Judaism

The leader of the ultra-Orthodox party, Yizhak Goldknopf, will take the role of housing minister. Earlier this week, reports emerged that the incoming housing minister owns an apartment that was illegally split. 

Goldknopf's party is also expected to control the Jerusalem affairs ministry, although the portfolio appears to not have been handed out at this time. 

Noam

The leader of the far-right faction, Avi Maoz, will serve as a deputy minister in the prime minister's office overseeing issues of Jewish national identity, and with responsibilities pertaining to the education ministry. Maoz also serves as the only person from the party in the Knesset.