ביל גייטס מציע: גיוס כספים למדינות עניות באמצעות מיסוי עסקות פיננסיות
Hanegbi: Resistance is useless
By Nadav Shragai, Ora Coren, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service
National Religious Party Chairman Effi Eitam was unanimously elected as housing minister Sunday by the party central committee, after four candidates for the role withdrew from the race at the central committee members' request.
Eitam said Sunday that the coalition agreement with Shinui is a strategic goal, not a tactical one and promised that the NRP will not hurt any ultra-Orthodox people exempted from military service on the grounds of studying the torah, but that the party will strive to include other religious people in the work force.
"The moment of truth in relations between the ultra-Orthodox and the state of Israel has come. We cannot continue a situation in which a large part of the haredi public is outside the work market," Eitam said.
MK Yitzhak Levy was unanimously chosen as a deputy minister at the Prime Minister's Office. He will be responsible for the Religious Affairs Ministry, which would be dismantled within one year according to the coalition agreement with the secular Shinui party. There were no other candidates for the role.
Eitam said Sunday that the process of dismantling the Religious Affairs Ministry will be longer than one year, and that a committee would be established to determined when and how the ministry would be closed down.
The central committee will also choose between the two candidates for the welfare ministry, MK Zevulun Orlev and former MK Eliyahu Gavri, who won the seventh slot on the party's candidate list and did not get into the Knesset.
The future ministers are to be sworn in on Monday.
Earlier Sunday the NRP court ruled that the party's ministers do not have to give up their Knesset positions in order to enable the next candidates on the party's list to be appointed as MKs.
Meanwhile, twenty of the 23 ministers in the new government were beginning their new jobs on Sunday following ministerial passing-of-the-torch ceremonies.
New ministers from the secular Shinui party vowed to follow through on their goal of reducing the religious sector's power in the state, with new Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid expressing his opposition to a constitutional court - which is supported by religious parties as being a potentially more religiously sensitive alternative to the Supreme Court - and incoming Interior Minister Avraham Poraz said he would strive to establish civil marriage for those unable to marry under Jewish law. The Interior Ministry is moving from ultra-Orthodox Shas control to secular Shinui control.
Lapid promised upon taking office Sunday that he would uphold the law and oppose the creation of a constitutional court, Israel Radio reported.
Religious parties support the establishment of a constitutional court, which would rule on any issue in which a constitution question arises, including cases dealing with religion and the state. A constitutional court would also preclude any other court - and most importantly, the existing Supreme Court - from ruling on such issues.
Lapid also confirmed that Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein announced his intent to resign from his post, but added that he would be pleased if Rubinstein decided to stay on. Rubinstein said in response: "At this point I am staying and continuing as usual."
In the change-of-ministers ceremony at the Interior Ministry, outgoing minister Eli Yishai (Shas) said he hoped that Shinui's secular platform wouldn't control the Interior Ministry or lead to the loss of Israel's Jewish identity.
Poraz responded that while the Jewish character of the state should be preserved, there must also be a humanistic approach toward foreigners who come to Israel.
Specifically, Poraz said he plans to allow civil marriage for couples who are prohibited from getting married under Jewish law. Current Israeli law does not recognize any marriage performed in Israel unless it is conducted under Orthodox rabbinic jurisdiction, compelling some couples who cannot get married under Jewish law or who do not want to go through the rabbinate to leave the country in order to marry.
Poraz's first act as interior minister was to grant permanent residency to the mother of Sergei Panchango, who was killed in a suicide attack at the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv in June 2001.
MK David Levy refuses to chair Foreign Affairs and, Defense panel
MK David Levy rejected on Sunday Sharon's proposal to be appointed as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Levy said that sees himself as being worthy of a ministerial position, and will not suffice with a "compensation" gesture of being a committee chairman, even if it is a distinguished one. "The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is a distinguished role, but I will be a regular MK. I am more suited to an executive role, but the prime minister did not see it fit to keep his promise," Levy said.
Foreign Minister Shalom: Opportunities and risks after Iraq war
New Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said after Sunday's ceremony marking the changing of ministers that the timetable for the expected war in Iraq was growing shorter, but that the day after would bring the Middle East many opportunities and risks.
Shalom also spoke of three central goals for Israel in the diplomatic arena: strengthening ties with the United States, with those Arab states that have peace agreements with Israel and with Europe.
Hanegbi: Appeal against my appointment is baseless
Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) promised on his first day as public security minister that he would maintain complete separation between himself and the various law enforcement authorities. Hanegbi said that in his opinion there was no legal basis or moral logic to an appeal made to the High Court against his appointment to the post.
"I wasn't put on trial and no charges were filed against me," he said.
Senior police officers last week expressed grave misgivings over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to appoint Hanegbi as minister of public security. Hanegbi, who has been in trouble with the law more than once, will as minister help to determine who will replace the head of the police investigations division.
Transportation Minister Liberman to push El Al privatization
New Transportation Minister Avigdor Liberman (National Union) said upon taking his post Sunday that he will push to advance privatization of El Al Airlines.
Liberman also said that developing the country's rail system and preventing deaths on Israeli roads.