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Viewing cable 06TELAVIV230, OLMERT SHUFFLES THE KADIMA CARDS IN HIS CABINET

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06TELAVIV230 2006-01-19 16:49 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Tel Aviv
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000230 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL IS PINR ELECTIONS GOI INTERNAL
SUBJECT: OLMERT SHUFFLES THE KADIMA CARDS IN HIS CABINET 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 214 
     B. 2005 TEL AVIV 6385 
 
1.  On January 18, Alternate PM Ehud Olmert's Cabinet 
approved the appointment of three Kadima ministers to fill 
the Foreign Affairs, Agriculture/Rural Development, Education 
and Health portfolios in his transitional government vacated 
following the January 15 resignation of four Likud ministers 
(Silvan Shalom, Yisrael Katz, Limor Livnat, and Dany Naveh, 
respectively - ref A).  The Cabinet also redistributed the 
Housing/Construction, Science/Technology, Communications, 
National Infrastructure, and Environment portfolios vacated 
following the Labor Party withdrawal from Sharon's coalition 
government in November (Isaac Herzog, Matan Vilnai, Dalia 
Itzik, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Shalom Simhon, respectively). 
 Pursuant to the Basic Law governing the function of 
transitional governments and Knesset understandings, Olmert 
made his picks from among the Knesset members of his Kadima 
faction. 
 
2.  Kadima newcomers to ministerial posts include Sharon 
loyalists Ronnie Bar-On (National Infrastructure, 
Science/Technology), Ze'ev Boim (Housing/Construction, 
Agriculture/Rural Development) and Jacob Edery (Negev and 
Galilee Development, Health).  Sharon had twice sought to 
appoint Bar-On and Boim (who has served as a Deputy Minister 
of Defense) to ministerial positions in 2005, but Likud 
rebels balked and blocked the appointments (ref B). 
Ultimately, Likud party failure to approve Sharon's 
appointment proved to be the proximate cause for Sharon's 
split from Likud and his formation of a new faction, Kadima. 
All three MKs were among those who followed Sharon from Likud 
to Kadima. 
 
3.  Olmert retains the Finance and Industry/Trade/Labor 
portfolios that he held before filling in for PM Sharon, and 
must manage the Interior and Social Welfare portfolios he has 
temporarily assumed as Alternate PM.  The presence of 
Director-General Yossi Bachar insures the effective 
day-to-day management of the Finance Ministry.  The impact of 
these appointments will be limited as Olmert's government 
will only remain in power through parliamentary elections 
scheduled for March 28, 2006.  Even so, Olmert's decision to 
name Sharon loyalists to prominent posts is a good indicator 
of who will be in the upper echelons of the Kadima party list 
that he must submit before February 8.  The winners coming 
out of this cabinet shuffle are clearly Tzipi Livni (already 
Immigrant Absorption, Justice and now Foreign Affairs - 
septel), Meir Sheetrit (already Transportation and now 
Education), Gideon Ezra (already Internal Security and now 
Environment) and Abraham Hirchson (already Tourism and now 
Communications) -- all of whom acquired major new portfolios 
in addition to their original posts. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website. 
********************************************* ******************** 
JONES