Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a major reshuffle of top ministries that would replace Defense Minister Israel Katz with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. Under the emerging plan, Energy Minister Eli Cohen would move into the Foreign Ministry, and Katz would be shifted to the Energy Ministry. The deliberations come amid a deepening rupture between Katz and Netanyahu, which intensified in the past day following public clashes between Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
Netanyahu invited Zamir and Katz to a meeting today in an effort to ease tensions, but the session ultimately split into two separate meetings. For now, the prime minister has not made a final decision, but officials close to him say that if Katz continues to act independently of Netanyahu, the decision to replace him will come more quickly.
When the current coalition was formed, the parties agreed that Katz would spend his first year as energy minister before switching roles with Eli Cohen, who was appointed foreign minister for two years. The deal also stipulated that in the coalition's final year the rotation would reverse again, with Cohen returning to the Foreign Ministry and Katz going back to the Energy Ministry.
Since then, the Israeli political landscape has shifted entirely. Katz moved from the Foreign Ministry to the Defense Ministry after Yoav Gallant was dismissed, and Sa'ar entered the Foreign Ministry. In recent days, as the original rotation date approached, ministry staff raised the question of whether the agreement still applies and whether Katz will be pushed to the Energy Ministry amid his dispute with Netanyahu. For now, officials in Netanyahu's circle are declining to comment on the details, but they hint that this is a strong possibility.
In response, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said the report is "fake news".
