The Israeli cabinet yesterday approved with a large majority the
appointment of lawmaker Raleb Majadele from the left-wing Labor
Party who thus becomes the first Arab minister in Israel's history.
The appointment drew mixed reaction among Israeli nationals.
Majadele will receive his portfolio on the weekend, which will
be determined by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today after the
Knesset (Parliament) approved the appointment, according to local
media.
Most Knesset members (MK) from the Labor Party applauded
Majadele's entry into the Israeli government's top echelon, hailing
it as a historic step towards full integration and equality of the
Arab population.
Some Labor Party leaders see Majadele's inclusion in the cabinet
as balancing that of Avigdor Lieberman, leader of right-wing
Yisrael Beiteinu whose policies include redrawing Israel's border
to exclude most of the country's Arab population.
Naturally, Lieberman stood against Majadele's appointment, but
he rejected the allegation of racism.
He and other members of his party have criticized this
nomination by Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz.
Peretz, who has seen his approval ratings plummet since last
summer's unsuccessful war in Lebanon, has been criticized for using
the nomination to rally flagging support among Israeli-Arab
citizens ahead of the May party elections.
In spite of Majadele's unprecedented appointment, it seemed a
thankless effort to please Israeli-Arab lawmakers, who rejected it
as unhelpful to Israeli-Arab interests, claiming it only assuage
criticisms of Israel's discriminatory policies against its Arab
minority.
Representatives from the Arab bloc in the parliament, including
the far left-wing Hadash Party and the United Arab List that groups
Ra'am-Ta'al and Balad parties expressed a lack of confidence in the
government and the appointment.
The nomination even drew fire from inside Majadele's own Labor
Party. Druse members protested against the neglect of its position,
arguing that they were passed over for the ministerial post,
although Druse, unlike most Muslim and Christian Arabs, identify
with Israel and serve in the armed forces.
Moreover, Majadele's appointment remains a controversial issue
in Israeli public.
Some Israelis expressed their satisfaction with it by saying
that "it should have been done years ago." "Israel Arabs are
citizens of Israel. They should have same rights and same
obligations. The more they participate in the work of government,
the better they will be integrated into Israel society," an Israeli
wrote on the Internet.
However, some Israelis seemed indignant with the news, saying
that "no one who did no serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces)
should sit in the Knesset or be in the government."
Arab citizens comprise 20 percent of Israel's 7 million
population. However, they lag behind Israel's Jewish population in
various aspects of life, such as income, education and standard of
living, and have consistently lacked representation at the highest
levels. Israel's 120-seat parliament, or Knesset, includes only 13
Arab members.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2007)
