Barak Reshuffles CabinetIsraeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak reshuffled his cabinet Sunday morning, naming four of his ministers to hold concurrent posts.At Sunday morning's weekly cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer took up the Construction and Housing Minister post, while Minister in Prime Minister's Office Haim Ramon also got an additional portfolio of Interior Minister. Both of them had been ministers in their respective new posts in the previous government, according to a cabinet statement issued by Barak's Office. Meanwhile, it was announced that Justice Minister Yossi Beilin would also head the Religious Affairs Ministry, and Finance Minister Avraham Shochat would act as National Infrastructure Minister concurrently. The Barak cabinet had been reduced from 23 ministers to 12 ministers following a series of cabinet crisis regarding the peace talks with the Palestinians. Three ministers from the secular Meretz party, Education Minister Yossi Sarid, Industry and Trade Minister Ran Cohen, and Agriculture Minister Haim Oron resigned from the cabinet, but remained in the coalition, in June due to their differences with Barak over funding allocations for the religious Shas party's dept-ridden educational network. Nevertheless, four ministers of the ultra-Orthodox party, along with Yisrael Ba'aliya leader and former interior minister Natan Sharansky, and National Religious Party leader and former housing minister Yitzhak Levy, resigned all the same ahead of the Israeli-Palestinian peace summit at Camp David last month to avoid responsibility for any peace agreement reached by Barak. Foreign Minister David Levy, once Barak's close political ally, also submitted his resignation letter last Wednesday, complaining that Barak made too many concessions at the Camp David talks, which nevertheless failed to reach a final peace accord. In an irrelevant development, Transport Minister Yitzhak Mordechai was forced to resign early this year for his involvement in a sexual harassment scandal. So before Sunday's reshuffle, Barak had to assume 10 ministerial responsibilities, excluding the Defense Minister portfolio he had assumed since the establishment of the government. Mordechai's ministerial post was hold concurrently by his Center party colleague and Tourism Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shahak. However, Barak has no right to appoint new minister to his cabinet without Knesset (Parliament) approval, which had begun its summer recess last Wednesday and will not reconvene until the end of October. Under Israel's Basic Law, the government clearly states that "Ministers are appointed by the prime minister. Their appointment is subject to Knesset approval." Barak has to convene the Knesset and muster a majority to vote any new minister in. That's the reason why he only reshuffled the cabinet with the current ministers. He is only required to inform the Knesset for these nominations to take effect. There are still six ministerial posts vacant without holders, including the important Foreign Minister portfolio. Barak is hoping to fill the vacuum when he finishes coalition talks with Shas, Meretz, or even the major opposition Likud. |
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