On Wednesday, 5 Nissan, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to announce that his mandate for forming the next coalition government will be given to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. For Mr. Netanyahu, this will be the fourth time he has been given the mandate.

While Mr. Rivlin is still meeting with the various political parties, informal coalition talks are well underway as faction members are speaking and meeting with one-another. Deal-making is in full swing as the various players vie the limited number of cabinet posts available.

There are a number of portfolios that are on the wish list of numerous individuals and Mr. Netanyahu will have to draw on his lifetime of political experience to masterfully appease the players and hopeful assemble his coalition.

Ministry of Religious Services

At present, the Ministry of Religious Services is under the leadership of Minister Naftali Bennett and Deputy Minister Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Dahan. However, Shas party leader Aryeh Deri has stated he wants control of the ministry as well. Shas held the ministry in the 18th Knesset and plans to return in the next coalition.

Knesset Finance Committee

While it is now a ministerial portfolio, the Knesset Finance Committee is among the most powerful in government and control of this committee is tantamount to have an authorized signature on the nation’s checking account.

At present, the committee is chaired by Bayit Yehudi MK Nissim Slomiansky, who has no plan of vacating in the new government. That said, Yahadut Hatorah MK Moshe Gafne has already announced his plans to return to his former position, which he held in the 18th Knesset. Yahadut Hatorah has stated this is a deal-breaker, meaning to say without this and meeting a number of other demands, the chareidi party will not enter the coalition.

Ministry of Defense

Moshe Ya’alon of Likud is among the ministers who is close to PM Netanyahu and he plans to continue serving in the senior portfolio. As a former IDF chief of staff, no one questions his suitability for the position.

However, Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett has announced this is on his list of possible portfolios along with the foreign ministry. Bennett views his party as a major coalition partner and is confident he will receive one of the two portfolios. Based on the conflict between them during Operation Protective Edge, it is most unlikely that the prime minister wants to see Bennett in charge of the nation’s armed forces.

Yisrael Beitenu leader Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman appears undeterred by the fact his party dropped from 13 to 6 seats. On the eve of elections he announced he will be the next defense minister. Following elections he announced that if he does not remain as foreign minister he will prefer the opposition to a less senior cabinet post. Without Lieberman, the prime minister would only have a coalition of 61, which is sufficient but playing life dangerously.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman following elections announced that if he does not continue serving in his current post he will not join the coalition but prefer to head to the opposition.

In addition, Bayit Yehudi party leader Naftali Bennett has announced that he must receive either the Defense Ministry or the Foreign Ministry. It is unlikely that the prime minister is about to oust Moshe Ya’alon from the defense post for Bennett, but on the other side there is Avigdor Lieberman who insists he will not join the coalition if he is not continuing as foreign minister.

This is just a small picture of what faces the prime minister in the coming weeks. While Mr. Netanyahu left negotiations to hand-picked team in the 19th Knesset, he is playing a pivotal role this time around after the disastrous coalition with Yesh Atid and The Movement, which left the chareidi parties in opposition.

The parties have begun meeting with President Rivlin (Hebrew)

Yahadut Hatorah wants the Knesset Finance Committee (Hebrew)

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)