Tel Aviv [Israel], December 27: The right-wing religious Israeli government led by incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be sworn in on Thursday, Yariv Levin, the speaker of the Israeli parliament, announced on Monday.
The Knesset would hold a special session to conduct the swearing in, Levin said. Before the ceremony, Netanyahu's group aims to push through a series of controversial legislative changes, among them a permitting Aryeh Deri, the head of the religious Shas party, to be sworn in as interior minister, despite a previous conviction for tax evasion. A change in the law is also required for Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionist Party to hold a ministerial post in the Defence Ministry alongside his post as Finance Minister. Smotrich, who strongly backs expanding Jewish settlements on the West Bank, will have a major influence on the administration of the West Bank and the lives of the Palestinians living there. (dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune
