A serious crisis loomed over the inauguration of Benjamin Netanyahu’s first government back in June 1996. The newly appointed Foreign Minister David Levy gave Netanyahu a stern ultimatum and said that he would not be joining Netanyahu's government unless an appropriate position was found for Ariel Sharon. The two men, Levy and Sharon, had a political alliance at the time, so when Netanyahu, who felt threatened by Sharon, decided to keep him out of the government in an effort to eliminate him politically, Levy rose to his colleague’s defense. As a result, a new economic portfolio, the Ministry of National Infrastructures, was created especially for Sharon, and the Netanyahu government was sworn in on schedule.
Similarly, just two days earlier during that same time period, senior Likud Knesset member Benny Begin had threatened Netanyahu that he would also stay out of the government unless an appropriate post was found for Dan Meridor. Even though he was originally shunted aside as a dangerous political rival, Meridor was eventually appointed finance minister.
