A new World Zionist Congress coalition agreement for the positions and portfolios in Israel's national institutions was adopted by the World Zionist Organization executive committee on Monday night, potentially bringing an extended several-week negotiation saga to an end.
The agreement will see Mizrachi CEO Rabbi Doron Perez become the WZO president, a normally ceremonial role that would reportedly expand to engage in matters of budget and Diaspora relations.
Incumbent WZO chairman and World Likud head Yaakov Hagoel will retain his position, rotating with a member of the Liberal Zionist bloc for the second term. The alternate chairman will be elected at a later date, according to the WZO.
WZO vice chairman and MERCAZ senior representative Dr. Yizhar Hess will retain his position as well.
The agreement is the fourth to be struck between WZC slates since the convention was held in the last week of October.
Collapse of the WZC agreement
The first agreement collapsed on October 29 when Hagoel's rival Likud faction proposed Yair Netanyahu as a WZO executive member. Yesh Atid and other slates set the inclusion of the prime minister's son as a red line. Netanyahu does not appear to be included in the fourth agreement.
With the failure to adopt a deal by the end of a truncated WZC convention, delegates voted to extend the negotiation period by two weeks.
A second agreement was established, and voting was called by the WZO the following Sunday, but right leaning slates demanded a return to the first agreement. The vote was extended and made obsolete by renewed negotiations, and a third agreement was struck.
The third agreement collapsed on November five when Yesh Atid withdrew from the deal, declaring that the national institutions were corrupt, nepotistic, and clientelist.
The results of the vote were announced on November 11, but they were already irrelevant, as negotiations were already being advanced without Yesh Atid. A day later, Mizrachi announced that a new deal had finally been reached.