Israel Cabinet Appoints Ami Ayalon As Minister Without Portfolio

Ami Ayalon had served as Director of the
Israel General Security Services from 1996-2000.

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem ----September 16...... The following was communicated by the Israel Cabinet Secretariat and the Israel Government Press Office to the Israel News Agency.

At the weekly Israel Cabinet meeting today pursuant to Articles 5(c) and 15 of Israel Basic Law: The Israel government (http://tinyurl.com/2v5nk), the Cabinet appointed Israel MK Ami Ayalon as a Minister without Portfolio. The appointment will be duly submitted for Knesset approval.

Following the aforesaid approval: Israel Minister Ayalon will replace Minister Yitzhak Herzog on the Ministerial Committee for Israel National Security. Minister Herzog will be invited to attend Committee meetings on a permanent basis in place of Minister Shalom Simhon; and Minister Ayalon will chair the
Ministerial State Control Committee in place of Minister Simhon, who will serve as an ordinary Committee member.

The Israel Cabinet instructed Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak to form a team to establish the National Emergency Authority (NEA) in the Israel Defense Ministry.
The Defense Minister will submit a comprehensive proposal for the NEA to the Cabinet within 90 days, based on the team’s recommendations. See http://tinyurl.com/2c5as5 and http://tinyurl.com/2g4kqq for further details.

The Israel Cabinet accepted the recommendation of the relevant ministerial committee and decided to cancel the requirement that tourists from Russia obtain Israeli entry visas provided that is on a reciprocal basis. The Foreign Ministry will negotiate an agreement to this effect with the Russia government and will check with other ministries on the possibility of concluding similar agreements with other countries from the former USSR.

The Israel Cabinet appointed a ministerial committee on arranging and restoring the social rights that new immigrants were eligible for in their countries of origin. Israel Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman will chair the committee; its other members will be Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Finance
Minister Ronnie Bar-On, Pensioners Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan, Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann, Immigrant Absorption Minister Yaacov Edry and Social Affairs and Social Services Minister Yitzhak Herzog. See http://tinyurl.com/2g4kqq for further details.

The Israel Cabinet discussed reforms at the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA).
See http://tinyurl.com/2g4kqq for further details.

The Cabinet discussed the overhaul of IBA broadcasts in Arabic. See http://tinyurl.com/2g4kqq for further details.