Avigdor Lieberman Sworn In As Israel’s Defense Minister

Ynetnews reports:

The swearing in comes as a part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s broadening of the coalition government. Government ministers approved Avigdor Lieberman’s nomination as defense minister in a meeting earlier Monday morning. In addition, the government will be welcoming party member Sofa Landver to take up the minister of absorption portfolio.

The vote comes following a protracted round of heated negotiations between Netanyahu’s Likud party and Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party. Witht he new agreement, Netanyahu will see the government grow from a narrow 61 seat majority in the Knesset to a 66-strong majority.

The approval was also facilitated after a crisis was resolved between Netanyahu and the Bayit Yehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett who had previously threatened to stymie Lieberman’s inauguration if a series of conditions were not first met by Netanyahu.

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