Yesh Atid has once again filed a no-confidence motion against the 34th government of Israel on Sunday, this time over the division of Foreign Ministry responsibilities to six different ministers. 

MK Yaakov Perry is expected to introduce the proposal on Monday to a Knesset session. 

“During the compilation of the 34th government Prime Minister Netanyahu decided, due to political interests, to decentralize the role of Foreign Minister in the hands of six members of various government portfolios instead of appointing a full-time foreign minister,” the explanatory note to the bill states.

“This decision fatally wounds foreign relations of the State of Israel and its Hasbarah (PR) campaign. The decision also violates the nature of strategic relations between the US and Israel.” 

Responsibility for peace talks and US-Israel relations has been given to Interior Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud), the Hasbarah (Public information/media) responsibility against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has been given to Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud); both Erdan and former Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) have divided up responsibility for Iran. Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has theoretically been given “all of the powers” of the Foreign Ministry, with Netanyahu as the semi-symbolic Foreign Minister. 

“Apart from the fact that splitting the Foreign Ministry to 6 different offices is highly detrimental to the ability to conduct foreign policy, this leads to a waste of hundreds of millions of shekels that were promised to various ministries,” Yesh Atid added. “Hundreds of millions should be spent for the benefit of the citizens of the state and not to be served and members of the coalition government.”

The no-confidence motion is in addition to a bill being proposed by Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah to centralize the Foreign Ministry.