Israel Knesset plenum will convene on Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. to approve the government shakeup announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening, following his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Knesset plenum convenes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and in rare cases on Sunday or Thursday morning. A Thursday evening plenum is rare. Its scheduling, however, is due to the fact that according to Israeli law, the decision to remove Gallant only comes into effect after 48 hours, and then can the Knesset approve the new defense minister, Yisrael Katz.
The Knesset will also approve MK Gideon Sa'ar taking over from Katz as foreign minister, MK Sharren Haskel will be appointed deputy foreign minister, and MK Ze'ev Elkin will become a minister within the finance ministry responsible for the rehabilitation of the northern and Gaza border.
Wasserlauf opposes Elkin's appointment
Negev and Galilee Minister Yizhak Wasserlauf announced on Thursday morning that he opposed Elkin's appointment, arguing that the issue of rehabilitating the northern and Gaza borders should be his responsibility. Wasserlauf added that he had gained the trust of local authority leaders in both regions, and claimed that dozens of them sent him a letter saying they supported his position.
In the meanwhile, the Israel High Court of Justice will likely rule on Thursday afternoon whether or not to accept a petition by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel and other organizations, demanding to freeze Gallant's removal on the grounds that it was made for nonpolitical reasons and therefore illegal. The precedent has shown that the high court is unlikely to accept the petition.