Despite the tension between them, President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took part in an elegant state ceremony on Wednesday in which Rivlin officially granted Netanyahu the mandate to form the next government. Rivlin's call for governance reform was expected. Why must there be elections every two years? But Rivlin's words took on a different, and more significant, dimension when he reminded Netanyahu of the need to repair his relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama. Rivlin also made clear his revulsion toward Netanyahu's Election Day statement on Israeli Arab voters "coming out in droves." Netanyahu took Rivlin's comments in stride, realizing this was not the proper time to argue with the president. Coalition negotiations have been underway since the results of last week's elections became clear. But there is something new. Although the coalition's basic policy guidelines have yet to be set, Channel 2 already reported on Wednesday that a number of high-level positions in the next government have been filled. According to the report, Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) will be finance minister, Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beytenu) will be immigrant absorption minister, Aryeh Deri (Shas) will be interior minister and Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) will be deputy healthy minister. This report marked an interesting development, as, if true, it meant numerous options have been closed off long before the coalition negotiations reach their peak. Certain political figures will have to sober up about which portfolios they will receive. For example, it is unclear if Netanyahu and Kahlon even agree on key economic issues, but the announcement that Kahlon will be finance minister means that members of other parties who had their eyes on the finance portfolio will have to face reality. This raises a question. Why has Netanyahu yet to declare that Moshe Ya'alon (Likud) will stay on as defense minister? This would reduce the amount of bad blood flowing between others who want the defense portfolio. On the other hand, an official announcement that Deri will be interior minister could spur public opposition. Distributing the portfolios early will speed up the process of forming the next government. Regarding the coalition's basic policy guidelines, there will be two key issues. First, how much emphasis to put on socio-economic issues in relation to diplomacy and defense issues? And second, how will the desire of some ideologues to annex parts of Judea and Samaria be reconciled with the need to restore good ties with the U.S.- So before he establishes his fourth government, Netanyahu may face difficulties both in terms of the distribution of portfolios and the crafting of the government's mission statement.
