Netanyahu Appoints 3 Caretaker Ministers As Israel's Third Snap Vote Approaches

Israeli Prime Minister Benjanim Netanyahu on Monday appointed lawmakers from his Likud party to the last three vacant spots in his caretaker government before the country holds a third snap general vote in March, his press service announced

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2020) Israeli Prime Minister Benjanim Netanyahu on Monday appointed lawmakers from his Likud party to the last three vacant spots in his caretaker government before the country holds a third snap general vote in March, his press service announced.

"Minister Tzachi Hanegbi will be appointed Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, in addition to his post as Regional Cooperation Minister. Minister Ofir Akunis will be appointed Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Minister, in addition to his post as Science and Technology Minister. Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely will be appointed Diaspora Affairs Minister," the prime minister's office said in a press release.

All three appointees are members of Netanyahu's ruling party Likud.

Their ministerial posts are the ones that Netanyahu himself had to quit, as he pledged to the court in late December not to retain any portfolio, save for premiership, while under indictment.

Israel has been lacking an established government for almost a year now, as two parliamentary elections last April and September ended inconclusively. The third snap vote is scheduled for March 2.

In November, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases. The embattled prime minister has claimed the charges are politically motivated and aimed at removing him from the office.