Local government, school principals and parent groups have all heavily criticised the appointment of MK Avi Maoz from the Noam Party to a position within the Prime Minister’s office with authority over external curricula content in the state-run education system.

• Maoz is best known for his long-standing opposition to the LGBTQ community and highly conservative views.
• In response to his appointment the Tel Aviv municipality declared it would continue to fund external educational content “in keeping with the spirit of this city.” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said, “The message that has been sent from local authorities is strong and clear: We will not allow anyone to play games with the education of our children. I will make sure that in our city, we continue to educate in keeping with our values.”
• Over the weekend, dozens more mayors, including from the Likud, expressed their objections to Maoz’s appointment and announced that they would fund educational content themselves. The Likud Mayor from Bat Yam Tzvika Brot said, “No party has a monopoly on Judaism, just as no party has a monopoly on pluralism. We will not allow anyone to meddle with our policies or values and change the status quo in this city.”
• Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama Hacohen, a former Likud MK, said “The city of Ramat Gan will fund two hours of class time on liberalism, inclusiveness and equality for every hour the government slashes on those topics.”
• In addition, around 200 school principals sent a letter to the designated prime minister Netanyahu. They wrote, “We, school principals from across the country, from a range of sectors will stand strong to protect our democracy and the basic rights of the citizens of this country when it comes to issues related to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. We hereby express our opposition to the removal of the unit responsible for external content and partnerships from the Education Ministry and transferring responsibility for that unit to a department that will be headed by Avi Maoz of the Noam Party, who has openly expressed his racist, homophobic views that are very benighted and very extreme, which cancel, divide, tear apart and hurt entire communities and broad identities in Israeli society. We will not allow benighted views to dictate the agenda in our schools. We call for this decision to be changed immediately,”
• In addition, more than 660 civics teachers and educators wrote, “We will not quietly accept educational leadership that promotes, via legislation and action, anti-democratic actions that is damaging to human rights.”

Context: The Noam Party was elected as part of the Religious Zionist list, but since the election the list has splintered into its constituent parts, leaving Maoz as his own one-person faction.

• According to the agreement he reached with the Likud, Maoz will serve as a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
• He will head the unit for external content and partnerships that was taken from the Education Ministry. The role overseas all of the curricula beyond core curricula, such as maths, English, sciences.  The unit has a budget of NIS 2 billion (around £480m).
• Privately, some in the Likud now acknowledge that this appointment was a mistake. They had thought that the unit was a small and unimportant department in the Education Ministry, and failed to realise the influence he could have.
• One theory under consideration is to hold up the transfer of authorities to Maoz, to create a crisis whereby Maoz will resign and quit the coalition. The coalition could still function with 63 instead of 64 members. However, others in the Likud have dismissed this approach.
• Another suggestion is that Netanyahu himself would oversee Maoz. Responding to this idea, outgoing prime minister Lapid wrote yesterday on Facebook: “Netanyahu said that he would ‘personally supervise’ the Gefen Unit, which is responsible for educational programmes at schools. Netanyahu knows that that’s a lie. He is saying that in the hope that the storm will blow over. Netanyahu knows that he has done something terrible—he has placed in the hands of a dangerous racist a budget of more than two billion shekels, with an open ticket to the hearts and minds of every child in Israel. Don’t let Maoz near your children. The authority is in your hands, and you can stop this.”

Looking ahead: Tomorrow the outgoing education minister, Yifat Shasha-Biton, is scheduled to convene an emergency conference. Attendees are expected to include outgoing Prime Minister Lapid, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, MKs, mayors, former education ministers, educators, parents and representatives of civil society organisations.

Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism have reached an agreement in their coalition negotiations.

• The sides appear to have reached an understanding over the recognition and provision of services to outposts hitherto illegal under Israeli law (and referred to euphemistically as ‘newer settlements’).
• These unauthorised settlements are set to be connected to water and electricity supply within two months, and those built on “state land” legalised within a year.
• Smotrich will head an expanded Finance Ministry in rotation (after two years) with Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who will be appointed to both the Health and expanded Interior Ministry briefs.
• Netanyahu had denied Smotrich the coveted defence portfolio, but instead will expand his party’s influence over some aspects of West Bank policy.
• The Defence Ministry will retain the offices of Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Crucially, however, a Religious Zionism MK – likely either Orit Struck, Smotrich himself, or a combination– will oversee both offices and wield considerable influence over settlement policy.
• Religious Zionism will also control the Immigration and Absorption Ministry (with Ofir Sofer the likely minister) and the chairmanship of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee (likely to be held by Simcha Rothman).

Other cabinet positions: The senior roles of Defence, Foreign, and Justice Minister will be filled from within the Likud and are expected to go to Yoav Galant, Amir Ohana, and Yariv Levin respectively. The Education and Transport ministries are likely be to headed by Likud MKs Eli Cohen and Miri Regev.

• Shas will control the Religious Affairs and Welfare ministries.
• Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben Gvir will be named National Security Minister and receive an expanded public security portfolio, including authority over Border Police operating in the West Bank.
• Noam Party Chairman Avi Maoz’s will assume a “Jewish Identity” role in the Prime Minister’s office and will also oversee the Education Ministry’s external programming and collaborations.
• The previous Negev, Galilee and Periphery Development Ministry will likely see its brief divided in two, with a Negev and Galilee portfolio handed to Jewish Power and responsibility for the periphery portfolio subsumed by an Interior Ministry under Shas control.

Context: The successful negotiations represent a major achievement for Religious Zionism.

• Its oversight of West Bank civilian policy and control of the Immigration and Absorption Ministry and the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee portfolio could prove crucial to the chances of implementing some of its most controversial legislative ambitions, including:
  • Changes to the Law of Return, including the removals of the “Grandfather Clause” (expected to be opposed by Netanyahu) and the recognition of non-Orthodox conversions for the purpose of immigration.
  • Increased building in settlements and clamping down on illegal Palestinian construction in area C.
  • Judicial reform, likely to include a Knesset override of Supreme Court rulings.
  • Barring the indictment of a sitting prime minister (the so-called ‘French Law’) and also providing immunity from criminal prosecution for ministers.

• Netanyahu has sought to calm international concern by claiming that policy will reflect a traditional Likud approach. “Defence”, he said in a recent interview, “is not merely… preventing incoming missiles. It’s also deciding on policies that could be quite inflammatory. I’m trying to avoid that.”
• Netanyahu has also made comments designed to reassure international and domestic audiences that despite the dominance of religious parties in the coalition, Israel will remain guided by secular traditions in forming its laws: “Israel is not going to be governed by Talmudic law”, he said.
• United Torah Judaism officials are said to be angry that the Likud has prioritised concluding coalition deals with Jewish Power, Religious Zionism, and Shas over them. A UTJ source is quoted saying: “They think they can buy us with crumbs. That isn’t going to happen.”
• Likud MKs are also said to be angry that Religious Zionism and Shas have been so well rewarded at the expense of their own part.
• The announcement of Moaz’s roles has prompted concerns from Diaspora leaders and LGBTQ organisations.
  • The former are worried over Moaz’s proposals to annul recognition of non-Orthodox conversion and to restrict the right Aliyah to those who can prove at least one Jewish parent.
  • The latter fear that Moaz will use his educational remit to promote an anti-LGBTQ agenda, having been vocal opposing LGBTQ rights and having promised to end Jerusalem’s annual Pride Parade.
  • Outgoing Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton recently lamented that “a man for whom hatred is his vocation is going to control the materials that get taught at schools.”

Looking ahead: The breakthrough with Smotrich opens the possibility of Netanyahu being able to present a government to President Isaac Herzog by the initial deadline of December 11th.

• However, it has been reported that Netanyahu plans to request that Herzog trigger a two-week extension, giving him until December 25th to ensure not only that all posts are filled and the coalition’s agenda coordinated, but also that Deri’s legal position has been clarified.
• Deri’s appointment will require the Knesset to pass new legislation – already prepared by Shas – clarifying that a suspended sentence does not meet the threshold of moral turpitude required to bar someone from ministerial service.
• To do this, the coalition bloc will first need to take over the parliamentary process by electing a new Speaker of Knesset. This will go to a Likud MK, though Netanyahu has not yet decided whom to appoint as it is dependent on first filling cabinet posts.