Coalition crisis over as Netanyahu and Bennett reach compromise

A looming coalition crisis, which threatened to thwart Yisrael Beytenu's entry into the government and potentially result in a national election, was averted late Sunday night, paving the way for Avigdor Liberman to become defense minister. Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett announced over social media that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come to an understanding over how the security cabinet operates. Bennett had been demanding that a military secretary regularly brief the security cabinet, which consists of senior MKs including the Bayit Yehudi leader. Until the change, Netanyahu and the defense minister could in principal control the information flow from the military and security services to the remaining members, ultimately influencing the decisions of the cabinet. According to a Facebook post some minutes after his initial tweet on the subject, Bennett said that as of Monday, 'there will be a military secretary' appointed to brief the security cabinet. 'I would like to thank (UTJ leader) Ya'acov Litzman for bringing about the solution (to the crisis),' Bennett wrote, adding that he also wanted to thank Netanyahu for accepting the proposal, which was 'for the good of the IDF and its soldiers.' As per the terms of the agreement, the head (or deputy head) of the National Security Council will be at the security cabinet's disposal to brief its members on developments pertaining to national security. Netanayhu's former national security adviser, Maj.-Gen. (res) Ya'akov Amidror, will also be appointed to propose ways in which the security cabinet's work can be further reformed. Bennett and other senior figures have been vocally critical over the operation of the cabinet, which is responsible for making critical decisions, such as authorizing the deployment of IDF ground troops. The current situation, where the security cabinet were not guaranteed to have been informed on all the relevant information before being called for a vote, had led to a situation whereby the prime minister, minister of defense and the security establishment were able to choose to withhold information from the remaining cabinet members, leaving them in the dark. Bennett, clearly keen to move on from the crisis, concluded his post: 'The Jewish nation won. Back to work,' indicating that even in the early hours of Monday morning, the matter was already yesterday's news. Bayit Yehudi faction chairwoman, MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli, said in reaction to the agreement that she welcomed the compromise, saying the move 'Exercises the voters' will to form a right-wing government, while streamlining the critical work of the security cabinet.' Health Minister Yaakov Litzman also welcomed the resolution of the crisis, saying, 'My hope is that the government will expand and continue to work for the good of the citizens of Israel, with God's help.' The vote to expand the government was set for Monday afternoon.

Coalition crisis over as Netanyahu and Bennett reach compromise

A military secretary will begin briefing the security cabinet from Monday as Litzman mediates a solution to avert the mounting crisis. The vote to expand the government will go ahead on Monday.

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Coalition crisis over as Netanyahu and Bennett reach compromise

A military secretary will begin briefing the security cabinet from Monday as Litzman mediates a solution to avert the mounting crisis. The vote to expand the government will go ahead on Monday.

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