Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu met late last night with a handful of close associates to discuss ministerial postings, a move he hopes will ward off bitterness among senior Likud figures. Many of them are waiting for Netanyahu to fulfill promises he supposedly made during the election campaign.
Netanyahu is expected to keep the Finance Ministry for himself and appoint Yuval Steinitz a minister below him.
Netanyahu has no intention of appointing someone who would become acting prime minister in case of emergency. That post, and finance minister, are precisely the positions Silvan Shalom had sought; Shalom has communicated to Netanyahu over the past few days that he would prefer no ministerial post at all if Netanyahu does not keep his promise to appoint Shalom to a senior position.
It is believed Netanyahu intends to appoint Shalom as his vice premier and minister for regional development, or minister for economic peace and deputy prime minister, hoping this satisfies Shalom.
To the 5 portfolios: finance, transportation, communications, environmental protection, and culture and sports,Netanyahu is expected to add a vice premier and minister for strategic affairs, and to split the Communications Ministry to create a Regional Development Ministry and a Ministry for Economic Peace.
Around 15 senior Likud figures will be invited to meet with Netanyahu. He will tell 11 or 12 which portfolios they have received, and will offer deputy minister posts to two.
Likud's leaders may receive portfolios as follows: Gideon Sa'ar - education (the post has been reserved for him); Yisrael Katz - transportation; Gilad Erdan - environmental protection; Moshe Ya'alon - strategic affairs; Moshe Kahlon - part of communications; Yuli Edelstein - part of communications; Limor Livnat - culture and sport; Dan Meridor - minister without portfolio with responsibility for security issues and member of the security cabinet; Benny Begin - minister without portfolio and member of the security cabinet.
