Policy differences and inadequate funding may bring an early end to Israel’s first Information Ministry, which was formed after the Dec. 31 Israeli elections, sources here said today.
The government decision to reduce by 15 percent budgets of all government offices created new difficulties for the Information Ministry which still does not have a fixed budget. In addition, differences of opinion have developed between the Information Ministry and the Foreign Ministry over allocation of functions, particularly concerning Israeli information policies overseas.
Aharon Yariv, the Information Ministry’s first head, reportedly accepted the ministry with little enthusiasm. He has now said that if Israel’s current financial crunch does not allow for even a minimum operation of the ministry, the government should consider whether it really wants to have such a Cabinet post. But he denied press reports that he had threatened to resign from the Cabinet because of the ministry’s difficulties.
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