Oren Dobronsky, recently slotted into Likud's number 11 spot by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated Tuesday morning that he will not take a Knesset seat and will instead serve as Minister for AI Affairs. The announcement comes hours after he gave up his reserved slot, as The Zioneer reported.
Oren Dobronsky stated Tuesday morning that he will serve as Minister for AI Affairs, not as a Knesset member, in a brief Telegram message. This clarification follows a rapid sequence of developments overnight.
At 00:28 Tuesday, Dobronsky first announced he would not take a Knesset seat and had agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to serve as a minister, without specifying the portfolio, as The Zioneer reported. Minutes later, at 00:51, he gave up his reserved slot on the Likud list entirely. The portfolio was disclosed this morning.
The antecedent to these moves came on August 11, when Netanyahu slotted Dobronsky into the Likud list's second ten (slots 11–20), a move initially reported by Channel 14 and later confirmed by the Prime Minister's office. Likud MK Ariel Kalner at the time said Dobronsky would bring voters who might be misled by opposition 'spins.' Since then, Dobronsky has emerged as a vocal Likud figure, criticizing Shin Bet chief Ronen Zini over the decision not to provide security for MK Gadi Eizenkot (The Zioneer, Aug 23). N12 also reported that Dobronsky may face a heavy exit tax after renouncing his U.S. citizenship.
The specific authorities of the AI Affairs portfolio have not been detailed, and it remains unclear whether the ministry will be a full government ministry or a special role.
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