Simcha Dinitz ordered tough cost-cutting measures Sunday, his first day in office as chairman of the World Zionist Organization Executive.
Dinitz, a Labor member of the Knesset and former ambassador to the United States, is concentrating WZO activities in Jerusalem. He ordered the closure of his Tel Aviv office and instructed the heads of all WZO departments to do the same and work the full week in Jerusalem.
In addition, Dinitz froze short- and long-term missions abroad scheduled for the next few weeks, pending review. All contracts with outside companies will be reviewed and all intended new appointments to positions in the WZO will be held up, subject to review.
Dinitz was elected to the post Dec. 7 by the 31st World Zionist Congress, which concluded more than five days of meetings at dawn Friday. The congress ended in an uproar, with delegates throwing potted plants and other objects at each other on the dais.
At issue was the size of a broad Executive of the WZO that is to function alongside a smaller operational Executive. Labor representatives wanted the broad body to comprise 51 members, while Likud sought a smaller number.
Both major parties have nominated their key figures from the previous Executive to serve on the new one, but behind-the-scenes negotiations throughout the week-long congress here failed to produce agreement on the allocation of the chairmanships of the various WZO departments.
The final-allocation has been postponed until the Jewish Agency Board of Governors meets in February, when the department heads will presumably receive the required consent of the fundraisers.
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