As Yamina, Yesh Lapid, and the other parties in the anti-Netanyahu bloc engage in negotiations for the formation of a new government, reports say that the anti-Chareidi Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman will be in full control of all of the government’s financial decisions.

Leiberman has succeeded in procuring senior positions that according to sources from the negotiation teams, “will make him the de facto ba’al habayis of this government.”

Yisrael Hayom reported that Yisrael Beiteinu is receiving a number of significant positions, with Leiberman not only serving as finance minister but a member of his party will also head the influential Finance Committee in the Knesset, a position now held by UTJ’s Moshe Gafni. Since the Finance Committee acts as a supervisory body of the Finance Ministry, Leiberman will have absolute control of all financial decisions as these are the two main channels for the distribution and transfer of governmental funds.

Additionally, Yisrael Beiteinu will receive the Ministry of the Negev and Galil and will likely receive another ministry as well, plus two more significant positions, the chairmanship of the Knesset’s National Committee for the Planning and Construction of Preferred Housing Complexes (CPRC) and the Reforms Committee.

The CPRC is involved in issuing approvals for large national construction plans, lending Leiberman the control of budgets for housing projects as well.

“I heard now that they’re going to give both the Finance Ministry and the Finance Committee to Yisrael Beiteinu,” Gafni said at the start of a Finance Committee meeting on Monday. “There was never anything like this in the Knesset – the committee is supposed to supervise the ministry.”

“How will we protect Eretz Yisrael,” Gafni said mournfully. “Will Tamar Zandberg (Meretz MK) do it? Gilad Kariv? [Kariv is a Reform rabbi and Labor MK.]

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)