Under legal pressure from the High Court of Justice, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Monday to appoint a new interior minister, following a 12-month period in which no permanent minister has filled the position.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel filed a petition to the court in December asking it to order Netanyahu to appoint a new, permanent interior minister after previous minister Moshe Arbel resigned in July 2025, when the Shas party left the coalition over the issue of ultra-Orthodox IDF enlistment.

The petition also asked the court to annul government resolutions transferring some of the interior minister’s powers to Netanyahu, who cannot serve as minister due to the ongoing corruption trial against him.

Replying to the court on behalf of the state and Netanyahu, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said that Netanyahu had agreed to appoint a new interior minister “during the [current] election period,” although no date was stipulated for the appointment to be made prior to the October 27 elections.

In her update to the court, the attorney general said that the failure to appoint an interior minister and the transfer of authorities to the prime minister created practical legal difficulties, which were getting worse as time........

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