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What happened: Following the swearing in of the new government last week, yesterday Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the makeup of the Security Cabinet.

• Netanyahu will chair the committee. The other members will be:
  • Defence Minister, Yoav Galant, Likud
  • Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, Likud
  • Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, Likud
  • Interior Minister and Health Minister, Aryeh Deri, Shas
  • National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Jewish Power
  • Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, Religious Zionists
  • Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer
  • Transportation Minister, Miri Regev, Likud
  • Energy Minister, Yisrael Katz, Likud
  • Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Avi Dichter, Likud
• Foreign Minister Eli Cohen began his tenure with a handover meeting with former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
• Cohen also began engaging with foreign leaders, speaking to UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.  According to the Times of Israel the latter asked Cohen to pass a message onto Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov when the pair spoke later in the day, but did not reveal the content of the message.
• Defence Minister Gallant announced the appointment Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir as the new director general of the ministry. Zamir, the former IDF deputy Chief of Staff also previously served as Netanyahu’s military secretary and recently missed out on the top IDF position when former Defence Minister Gantz appointed Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi instead.

In parallel: There was widespread international condemnation of Minister Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount yesterday.

• Unlike in the past, when Ben Gvir has been accompanied by journalists and fanfare, this time he entered the compound early in the morning, discreetly through a side entrance, with the whole visit lasting less than 15 minutes.
• The visit was coordinated with Netanyahu and the police and followed consultations with the wider security establishment.
• The visit coincided with the tenth of Tevet, a fast day to commemorate the Babylonian siege and eventual destruction of the First Temple.
• Following the visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his long standing commitment to “strictly maintaining the status quo, without changes, on the Temple Mount,” whereby it is permitted for non-Muslims to visit the site but not to conduct prayer services.  (For more reactions to the visit see media summary below).
• Last night a single rocket was fired towards Israel. The rocket fell short and landed in an open field inside the Gaza Strip.

Context: Netanyahu carefully weighted the security cabinet, ensuring a majority for moderate loyalists.

• In addition, he has also appointed long term ally Tzachi Hanegbi (who did not reach a realistic spot in the Likud primaries) to serve as his National Security Adviser.

• It is rare for an Israeli political leader to produce an heir, let alone two; credit to former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon who retired from politics two years ago. He brought both the current defence and foreign ministers into politics in his Kulanu Party, before re-joining the Likud.
• Foreign Minister Cohen served as minister for intelligence in the last Netanyahu government, playing a key role in reaching the normalisation agreement with Sudan.
• Since the government was sworn in, Netanyahu has also spoken to an array of regional leaders including Egyptian President Sisi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom Netanyahu intends to visit soon.
• There is concern that Netanyahu’s priority of strengthening regional alliances and expanding the Abraham Accords will be jeopardised by Ben Gvir’s actions.

Looking ahead: Tomorrow the UN Security Council is expected to convene at the behest of the UAE, on behalf of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to discuss the situation on the Temple Mount.

• Foreign Minister Cohen hopes to continue the momentum of the Negev Forum, inaugurated last year in Sde Boker, which included the foreign ministers of Israel, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and the US. They are planning to convene in Morocco in March.