Prime Minister Ehud Barak presented his government for the
Knesset's approval. Barak also suffered his first real
setback since the elections, when his candidate for Knesset
Speaker, Shalom Simhon, was easily defeated by the premier's
long-time political rival, Avraham Burg, also of the One
Israel party. Barak had not offered Burg any position in his
government.
The Likud decided not to field a candidate for the post.
Burg was widely seen as a more fitting candidate than Simhon
because he has more experience in the Knesset and scored much
higher in the party primaries. There was also a protest vote
against the way Barak has treated senior Laborites for the
past seven weeks in putting together his government.
The Labor Party central committee voted Monday overwhelmingly
in favor of Barak's list of ministers. But senior party
sources said there is considerable disappointment among the
party's MKs with the jobs distributed and the manner in which
Barak gave them out.
One of the major outstanding problems for Barak is the nature
of the portfolio which will be taken up by Shimon Peres, for
whom Barak is creating the Regional Cooperation Ministry. In
two meetings, Peres asked Barak to outline the powers that
will be granted to the ministry, but Barak apparently failed
to give a satisfactory answer.
Only at the last minute, Barak telephoned several of his
party colleagues to inform them of their duties in the new
government: Shlomo Ben-Ami will be internal security
minister, Yossi Beilin justice minister, Avraham Shohat
finance minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer communications
minister, Dalia Itzik environment minister, and Chaim Ramon a
minister in the Prime Minister's Office with responsibilities
for Jerusalem, government reform, and liaison between the
government and the Knesset. The financial markets were wary
of the finance minister, who did not perform well in his
earlier stint in the Labor government of 1992-96.
Barak also announced Monday night that Matan Vilna'i will get
the prospective Culture, Science and Sport portfolio, should
Barak succeed in expanding the cabinet beyond its present
18.
The prime minister further committed to appoint an
additional, unnamed minister at that stage. This, it is
widely assumed, will be a personal appointment. Barak also
said that Meimad's Michael Melchior will be a minister
without portfolio.
David Liba'i gave an overview of the major points in the
coalition agreement: A ministerial committee will be
established to discuss possible reform of the direct
elections of the prime minister; The so-called "Norwegian
law" will be introduced to expand the cabinet. Critics say
this will cost NIS 400 million; A ministerial committee on
issues concerning Judea, Samaria, and Gaza will be
established; Mechanisms will be established to encourage
yeshiva students aged 24 or 25 to find work after shortened
army service, and will aim to allow younger yeshiva students
to remain at their studies.
