The Israeli Cabinet Last night decided to distribute the four portfolios formerly left vacant in the hopes that the Mapam or the General Zionists would reconsider their decisions and join the coalition government.
One of the portfolios was wiped out while the remaining three were temporarily assigned as follows: Ministry of Agriculture to Bernard Joseph, who also holds the Ministry of Supply; Ministry of Industry to Eliezer Kaplan, who is also the Finance Minister; and Ministry of Health to Moshe Shapira, who is also Minister for Immigration. The Jurisdiction over the Druze and Circassion minority groups was handed over to Justice Minister Felix Rosenblueth.
Fifty-five hundred refugees arrived at Haifa yesterday and today. From the establishment of the state of Israel last May 15, until the end of February, I949, 145,000 Jews, including 11,000 visitors, arrived. December set a record with 29,000.
Israel’s ordinary state revenue exceeded budget estimates for the half year ending Dec. 31, 1948, by more than $4,000,000, while expenditures were lower than expected, according to the Official Gazette. Total expenditures were $32,000,000 and total revenue exceeded $38,000,000.
A mobile operating theatre contributed to Israel in the name of its President arrived today at Haifa. The mobile hospital unit was contributed by a group of Chicago Jews who originally came from Motele, Poland, birthplace of Dr. Chaim Weizmann. The same vessel on which this unit arrived brought many other gifts from American Jews.
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