Netanyahu Ally Chosen As New Israel Parliament Speaker

Israel’s parliament elected a close ally of prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu as its new speaker Tuesday to oversee the passage of legislation that will help his formation of a government.

Yariv Levin, a senior member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, was chosen as speaker to replace Mickey Levy from outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.

Levin may not be speaker for long, with some Israeli political pundits forecasting he will be tapped for a prominent cabinet role in Netanyahu’s new coalition, which is expected to be the most right-wing in Israeli history.

But before that government can be formed, parliament must first pass a measure allowing one of Netanyahu’s most powerful allies, ultra-Orthodox Jewish leader Aryeh Deri, to serve in cabinet despite past convictions for tax evasion.