Israeli cabinet reshuffle after coalition partner split

Tue, 18 Jan 2011

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected Tuesday to reshuffle his cabinet, in the wake of the sudden break-up of one of his largest coalition partners.

Media reports said the new break-away faction of Defense Minister Ehud Barak would receive four ministerial portfolios.

Barak announced unexpectedly on Monday that he was leaving the left-to-center Labor Party, along with another minister, two deputies and a lawmaker, to form a new centrist party called Atsma'ut (Independence).

Israel Radio reported Tuesday that Netanyahu's ruling, nationalist Likud party and Atsam'ut had already drafted a coalition agreement, which they want to present to the Knesset, or parliament, as early as Wednesday.

Under the deal, Barak would remain defense minister, current Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon, also of Labor and now has joined Barak, would receive the trade and industry portfolio, while current Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai would become a minister without portfolio. He would become in charge of the home-front within the Defense Ministry. Lawmaker Orit Noked would become agriculture minister.

Three Labor Party ministers opposed to Barak's move resigned after his announcement.

Four of the eight lawmakers left in the Labor Party, were expected to announce whether they would remain in what is left of the faction, or also form a new one of their own.

The Labor Party, before the split, had 13 mandates in the 120-seat Knesset. It was once one of Israel's most powerful and established parties, but has in recent elections gradually lost ground, scoring its lowest results in February 2009.

Labor, and first and foremost Barak, has taken flack for serving as a fig-leaf in an otherwise right-wing and ultra-right coalition, without having been able to move Netanyahu to steps - not least an additional settlement freeze - that would enable the revival of the peace process.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362827,reshuffle-coalition-partner-split.html.