The thirty-third government of Israel, also known as the third Netanyahu government,[1] was formed after the January 2013 Knesset elections, took office on 18 March 2013 and served until 14 May 2015. The Prime Minister was Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud; the government was a coalition of Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Yesh Atid, the Jewish Home, and Hatnuah.
Netanyahu III cabinet | |
|---|---|
 33rd Cabinet of Israel | |
 | |
| Date formed | 18 March 2013 |
| Date dissolved | 14 May 2015 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of state | Shimon Peres Reuven Rivlin |
| Head of government | Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Member parties | Likud Yisrael Beiteinu Yesh Atid The Jewish Home Hatnuah |
| Status in legislature | Coalition government |
| Opposition party | Labor |
| Opposition leader | Isaac Herzog |
| History | |
| Election | Knesset elections, 2013 |
| Legislature term | 19th Knesset |
| Predecessor | 32nd |
| Successor | 34th |
Formation
editLikud and Yisrael Beiteinu, which had run on a common list in the elections, were the largest faction in the Knesset, with 31 seats, and formed the government. Hatnuah agreed to become part of the government in February.[2] The final coalition agreement between Likud-Beteinu and the other parties was as signed on 15 March.[3] The coalition parties held 68 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. The parties agreed to a deal that would raise the voting threshold in future elections from 2 to 4 percent; had this restriction been effect in the 2013 elections, Kadima and the three Arab parties would have failed to qualify for seats in the Knesset. Some have suggested the change was implemented as an attempt to limit Arab representation, but that it could ultimately force the Arab parties to merge and this would bring greater unity in the long run.[4]
Recommendations
edit| Party | Party Leader | Seats | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Likud Yisrael Beiteinu | Benjamin Netanyahu | 31 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Yesh Atid | Yair Lapid | 19 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Labor | Shelly Yachimovich | 15 | No one | |
| The Jewish Home | Naftali Bennett | 12 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Shas | Eli Yishai | 11 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| UTJ | Yaakov Litzman | 7 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
| Hatnua | Tzipi Livni | 6 | No one | |
| Meretz | Zehava Gal-On | 6 | No one | |
| Ra'am | Ibrahim Sarsur | 4 | No one | |
| Hadash | Mohammad Barakeh | 4 | No one | |
| Balad | Jamal Zahalka | 3 | No one | |
| Kadima | Shaul Mofaz | 2 | Benjamin Netanyahu | |
Dissolution
editOn 2 December 2014, Netanyahu dismissed Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni (Hatnuah) and Minister of Finance Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid). Four other Yesh Atid ministers then resigned. This dissolved the government ahead of schedule, resulting in elections on 17 March 2015.
Cabinet members
editThere were 29 ministerial posts to fill, but Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid called for a smaller cabinet. In response, the coalition agreed the cabinet was to have 20 members, with several members holding multiple ministries, plus eight deputy ministers.[5] However, the cabinet that was sworn in had 22 ministers and eight deputy ministers.[6] This did not include Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who had resigned in December 2012 after being charged with fraud. PM Netanyahu served as Foreign Minister until November 2013, when Lieberman was acquitted and returned to office.[7]
Cabinet members
editDeputy Ministers
edit| Portfolio | Minister | Party | Term started | Term ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office | Ofir Akunis | Likud | 18 March 2013 | 14 May 2015 | |
| Deputy Minister of Defense | Danny Danon | Likud | 18 March 2013 | 15 July 2014 | Dismissed by Netanyahu |
| Deputy Minister of Education | Avi Wortzman | The Jewish Home | 18 March 2013 | 31 March 2015 | |
| Deputy Minister of Finance | Mickey Levy | Yesh Atid | 18 March 2013 | 4 December 2014 | Resigned after dismissal of Yair Lapid |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | Ze'ev Elkin | Likud | 18 March 2013 | 12 May 2014 | Resigned after becoming Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee |
| Tzachi Hanegbi | Likud | 2 June 2014 | 6 May 2015 | ||
| Deputy Minister of the Interior | Faina Kirschenbaum | Yisrael Beiteinu | 18 March 2013 | 31 March 2015 | |
| Deputy Minister of Religious Services | Eli Ben-Dahan | The Jewish Home | 18 March 2013 | 14 May 2015 | |
| Deputy Minister of Science and Technology | Tzipi Hotovely | Likud | 29 December 2014 | 14 May 2015 | |
| Deputy Minister of Transport, National Infrastructure and Road Safety | Tzipi Hotovely | Likud | 18 March 2013 | 14 May 2015 |
Issues
editIn 2014, Housing Minister Uri Ariel from the Jewish Home party urged the Israeli government to accelerate construction projects in the West Bank, particularly in response to the newly formed Fatah-Hamas national unity government,[8] which he viewed as a direct challenge to Israeli interests. Ariel argued that expanding settlements in the area would strengthen Israel’s position and security. However, this call for expansion sparked significant tension within the coalition government. Finance Minister Yair Lapid from Yesh Atid threatened to dissolve the government if unilateral actions, such as annexing parts of the West Bank, were taken.[9] Lapid expressed concern that such moves could lead to international isolation and economic repercussions, further complicating relations with the U.S. and European Union. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni from the Hatnua party joined Lapid in opposition, warning that annexing parts of the West Bank without negotiations would jeopardize Israel’s democratic and international standing.[10] In contrast, Religious Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett, also from the Jewish Home party, argued that annexation of settled areas in the West Bank was the "only sane plan," insisting that the long-standing debate over whether to retain or leave the settlements was counterproductive and that past efforts to reach a resolution on this issue had repeatedly failed. He viewed annexation as a logical step that would provide clarity and strengthen Israel's control over key areas. Despite these internal divisions, government spokesperson Mark Regevdeclined to address the differing views, refraining from commenting on either the annexation proposal or the resistance from coalition partners.[11]
References
edit- ^ "ממשלת נתניהו השלישית: מפלגת השלטון הופכת". NRG. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Netanyahu reaches first deal on new Israel government: source". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Jewish Home, Yesh Atid ink coalition deal with Likud-Beytenu". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Raising threshold for Israeli cabinet proposes challenge to Arab parties". Haaretz. Haaretz.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Azulay, Moran (11 March 2013). "PM, Lapid agree: 20 ministers, 8 deputies in next government". ynet. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Governments of Israel". Knesset.gov.il. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Israel's Lieberman to return to government". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Yair Lapid, Ariel: Hamas-Fatah government shows Palestinians don't want peace - Diplomacy & Politics - Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Israeli far-right ministers threaten to resign over Gaza ceasefire proposal". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ "Yair Lapid: If even one settlement is annexed, we'll topple the government - Diplomacy & Politics - Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Jonathan Ferziger (9 June 2014). "Israel Minister Says Annexing West Bank 'Only Sane Plan'". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
External links
edit- Government 33 Knesset website