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Benny Elon to Take Israel's Assassinated Tourism Minister's Position: Paper
The Israeli far-right party bloc of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu announced Monday that Benny Elon would take the place of late Rehavam Ze'evi as tourism minister in the cabinet.
The faction also decided that National Infrastructures Minister Avigdor Lieberman would replace Ze'evi in the security cabinet, the website of the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.
Ze'evi was assassinated by Palestinian gunmen on October 17, two days after he and Lieberman decided to resign the portfolios in the Sharon-led coalition government in protest of the government's failure to protect Israelis' security from Palestinian attacks.
The unexpected Ze'evi's assassination, however, forced the right-winger faction to withdraw temporarily its decision of resignation from the government.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reportedly met with Knesset (parliament) members of the party on Monday after they announced that they could not remain in the government that would allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Sharon assured the faction that no negotiations will be conducted without convening the cabinet.
Elon, son of former Deputy Supreme Court President Menahem Elon, was first elected to the Knesset in 1996. He has served on the House Committee, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, and as an alternate on
the Law Committee.
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