New Right Party leader Naftali Bennett will be sworn in as Israel’s 20th Defense Minister on Tuesday at 11 a.m., at which point the resignation of the current defense minister—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—will go into effect.
Netanyahu took over the post on Nov. 14, 2018, after Avigdor Lieberman resigned in protest over a ceasefire with Hamas.
Though incoming defense ministers are usually welcomed with a ceremony that includes an honor guard and reception, Bennett has opted to get to work right away, “addressing the serious challenges that lay ahead of us.”
Bennett has reportedly already begun meeting with senior security officials and is slated to meet with members of the Israel Defense Forces General Staff in the coming days.
On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi congratulated Bennett on his appointment.
