Dramatic night for Likud executives

• Netanyahu, Galant and Kish

  Photo: 

  Miriam Tzahi

The Likud round of preparations for the establishment of the 35th government continues: Yoav Galant will probably be appointed Minister of Infrastructure after competing with Nir Barkat on the education portfolio.

Bareket, the former mayor of Jerusalem who received a promise from Netanyahu to be appointed finance minister, is likely to find himself in the Ministry of Education, although at the time of writing, things are not final. 

After the "uprising" that broke out among Likud officials on Thursday and prompted the inauguration, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a series of meetings tonight into the wee hours. The minister revealed Gamliel, who refused the proposal to accept a portfolio for higher education, was informed last night that she would win the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Eli Cohen, formerly of "All of us," was appointed Minister of Intelligence.

Two other Likud officials, Gideon Sa'ar and Avi Dichter, were summoned to meetings with Netanyahu after initially they seemed almost to have lost their chances of joining the new government. Dichter even threatened to boycott the swearing-in on Thursday, thereby contributing to the swearing-in for Sunday. Minister Tzachi Hanegbi also issued a similar threat. It is unclear which of the three (Sa'ar, Dichter and Hanegbi, who was not invited at all) will actually join the government in the end. 

The future of Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz is also in the fog. Steinitz is considered one of Netanyahu's closest ministers, but at the moment he seems likely to find himself out of government. The government's swearing-in is scheduled to take place today, and Netanyahu's environment has made it clear that they do not intend to postpone the process again.