“Once the composition of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition is finally made clear, we will also find out who will belong to the two most important forums in the government: the cabinet and the smaller Septet (or Octet or Nonet, depending, of course, on the number of members).

More than any other group of politicians, it is these forums that will determine the next government’s most important decisions in the two most significant areas of diplomacy and national security facing Israel today.

The outgoing cabinet included the six senior ministers required by law (the prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister, justice minister, finance minister and public security minister), as well as another nine ministers who were full cabinet members and three who attended meetings only as observers, in accordance with a government resolution stating that the number of cabinet members cannot exceed half the number of coalition members.”

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