Although Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu will only be tapped as prime minister-designate in the coming days, he has already launched a transition by exploring appointments for senior roles.
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Israel Hayom has learned that the opposition leader has already asked former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer to serve as the head of the National Security Council after the new leader assumes office later this month. Dermer turned that offer down but Netanyahu is now considering appointing him as a minister in his new cabinet.
Netanyahu would have preferred to have Dermer serve as foreign minister but it appears that this portfolio will have to go to someone else because of the political haggling that will inevitably precede any swearing in of a new government. Israel Hayom has learned that Netanyahu is exploring the possibility of having Dermer serve as strategic affairs minister or regional cooperation minister. He might also create a new portfolio for Dermer that would allow him to have a significant say in Israel's foreign policy, but this all depends on how the talks with Likud and other parties progress in the effort to forge a governing coalition.
Dermer is considered to be a close confidant of Netanyahu, almost like family. In Netanyahu's new autobiography, Dermer is the only person who is mentioned dozens of times. When he served as Israel' envoy to Washington, Dermer wielded disproportionate influence compared to previous occupants of the embassy.
