Health Minister Victor Shemtov informed the Knesset officially yesterday that he has appointed Abdel Aziz-Zuabi, an Israeli Arab from Nazareth, to the post of Deputy Minister of Health. Zuabi, a Knesset member who served two terms as Nazareth’s Deputy Mayor, is the first Arab to be elevated to semi-Cabinet rank in Israel. He and Shemtov are members of Mapam. Zuabi has publicly declared his loyalty to Israel, though he also proclaims himself a loyal son of the Arab nation, and has referred to the Arab-Israel conflict as “tragic.” He has been a member of Mapam since 1950. The Cabinet approved Zuabi’s pending appointment last week after nearly a year’s delay. The delay was due to the Labor Party’s insistence on a similar post for one of its own Arab MKs. The Labor candidate was Seif Eddin el-Zuabi, a cousin and bitter personal enemy of Abdel Aziz. The problem was resolved last month when Seif was elected Mayor of Nazareth as a result of a coalition agreement. As mayor he could not serve as a deputy minister. Abdel Aziz Zuabi told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week that he didn’t think the appointment of an Arab as deputy minister was premature. “In fact, I think the time has come for an Arab to serve as a minister with full Cabinet rank,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
