JERUSALEM
Israel's new cabinet lineup managed on Thursday to get approval from the country's Knesset (parliament) – even with difficulty – after two months of tough negotiations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party and other right-wing and ultraorthodox parties.
Sixty-one Knesset members approved their country's 34th government during a session that was broadcasted live on TV. Fifty-nine other lawmakers opposed the cabinet lineup.
The session also witnessed tense discussions between lawmakers backing the new cabinet and others opposing it.
Addressing the legislature, Netanyahu said he would work to preserve Israel's security, make peace and reduce gaps between classes in the Israeli society.
He called on opposition leader Isaac Herzog to cooperate with him in this regard.
During the vote session, meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein ordered two Arab members expelled after they heckled Netanyahu's address to the legislature, according to Israeli media.
According to Channel 10, Edelstein expelled Arab Knesset members Masoud Ghanayem and Jamal Zahalka out of the session for heckling the premier's statement on the government lineup.
Netanyahu's Likud party won 30 seats in the latest Knesset polls, which were held in mid-March, but he needed endorsement from additional 31 lawmakers in order to be able to form Israel's 34th government.
The Israeli premier managed to get the required support after protracted negotiations with other political parties, namely the centrist Kulanu Party (ten Knesset seats), the Jewish Home Party (eight seats), the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism Party (seven seats) and the Shas Party (six seats).
On Wednesday, Israel's Knesset approved a bill that opened the door for raising the number of ministers in the Israeli cabinet to 22 from 18.
