32nd Government of the State of Israel Headed by Benjamin Netanyahu (March 31, 2009)


Presented to the Knesset on March 31, 2009 and received the Knesset’s approval on March 31, 2009 at 11:15 p.m. with a majority vote of 69 votes for and 45 votes against.
At the time of its swearing-in, the Government Coalition was comprised as follows:

- Likud 27 mandates
- Yisrael Beitaynu 15 mandates
- Labor 13 mandates
- Shas 11 mandates
- Habayit Hayehudi 3 mandates

Following is the Government composition on the day of its swearing-in:

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU  Prime Minister
Minister for Economic Strategies
Minister for Senior Citizens
Minister of Health
Minister of Science, Culture and Sport

SILVAN SHALOM  Vice Prime Minister
Minister for Regional Cooperation
Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee

DAN MERIDOR  Deputy Prime Minister
Minister Responsible for Intelligence Services and the Atomic Energy Commission

MOSHE YA’ALON  Vice Prime Minister
Minister

EHUD BARAK  Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Defense

ELI YISHAI  Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of the Interior

AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN  Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs

YULI EDELSTEIN  Minister

YITZHAK AHARONOVITZ  Minister of Internal Security

ARIEL ATIAS  Minister of Construction and Housing

MICHAEL EITAN  Minister Responsible for Improving the Government Service to the Public

GILAD ERDAN  Minister of Environmental Protection Responsible for liaising between the Government and the Knesset
 
ZE'EV B. BEGIN  Minister

AVISHAI BRAVERMAN  Minister Responsible for Minority Affairs

BINYAMIN BEN-ELIEZER  Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor

YITZHAK HERZOG  Minister of Welfare and Social Services
 
DANIEL HERSHKOVITZ  Minister
 
MOSHE KAHLON  Minister of Communications
ISRAEL KATZ    Minister of Transportation and Road Safety
 
LIMOR LIVNAT  Minister

UZI LANDAU  Minister of National Infrastructures
 
SOFA LANDVER  Minister of Immigrant Absorption

STAS MISEJNIKOV  Minister of Tourism

YAAKOV MARGI  Minister of Religious Services

YAAKOV NE’EMAN  Minister of Justice

MESHULAM NAHARI  Minister

GIDEON SA'AR  Minister of Education

YOSSI PELED  Minister

YUVAL SHTEINITZ  Minister of Finance

SHALOM SIMHON  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

On April 6, 2009, the following announcement was submitted to the Knesset:

“In the course of the Prime Minister’s statement of March 31, 2009 while presenting the Government, a mistake was made when Minister Silvan Shalom was presented as the Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Development of the Negev and the Galilee.  His actual title reads: Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Regional Cooperation and Minister for Development of the Negev and the Galilee.”

It should be noted that when the Government was established, there was not a Ministry for Economic Strategies.  The Prime Minister bore the title “Minister for Economic Strategies” without a ministry.

It should be further noted that when the Prime Minister presented his Government to the Knesset and even upon presentation of the aforementioned correction – a Ministry for Regional Cooperation did not exist.  Minister Silvan Shalom bore the aforementioned title without a ministry.  Regarding the establishment of the Ministry for Regional Development – see below.

On April 20, 2009, the Government resolved (in Resolution No. 24) to divide the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport into two ministries:

*The Ministry of Science and Technology
*The Ministry of Culture and Sport

The Government further resolved in the aforementioned Resolution to change the distribution of roles and determined that:

*Minister Limor Livnat will serve as the Minister for Culture and Sport
*Minister Daniel Hershkovitz will serve as Minister of Science and Technology

The aforementioned Government Resolutions regarding the division of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport, as well as that regarding the changes in the distribution of roles in the Government, were approved by the Knesset on May 6, 2009.

It should be mentioned that until the Knesset’s approval as aforementioned, the Prime Minister bore the title of “Minister of Science, Culture and Sport”, from the day the Government was formed on March 31, 2009, until May 6, 2009.

On May 3, 2009, the Government resolved to establish three new ministries, and to redistribute roles in the Government as follows:

*The Ministry for Strategic Affairs, to be headed by Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who will hereafter be called Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs (Resolution No. 69 of May 3, 2009).

*The Ministry for Intelligence, to be headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor, who will hereafter be called Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Intelligence (Resolution No. 70 of May 3, 2009).

*The Ministry for Public Diplomacy and the Diaspora, to be headed by Minister Yuli Edelstein, who will hereafter be called Minister for Public Diplomacy and the Diaspora (Resolution No. 71 of May 3, 2009).

The aforementioned Government Resolutions were approved by the Knesset on May 6, 2009.

During the Government Meeting on May 24, 2009, the Prime Minister announced that Minister Meshulam Nahari will be responsible for Social Affairs and Israel’s Heritage.

On June 7, 2009, the Government resolved to establish a Ministry for Regional Cooperation, and determined that the Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Development of the Negev and the Galilee, Minister Silvan Shalom, would serve as Minister of Regional Cooperation as well (Resolution No. 346 of June 7, 2009). 

The aforementioned Government Resolution was approved by the Knesset on June 10, 2009.