Avraham Sharir (Likud Liberal), the Minister of Tourism, was Sunday appointed Minister of Justice, too, in place of his party colleague Yitzhak Modai. Sharir’s appointment was announced by the Cabinet and is expected to be ratified by the Knesset without difficulty.
Modai was forced to resign last week, under threat of being fired by Premier Shimon Peres, whom he had publicly insulted. The Likud says Modai will return to the Cabinet, and to the Justice Ministry, following the rotation of the Premiership in October. But Labor has said it will oppose his return.
Sharir said Sunday that while he would be holding the portfolio temporarily (pending Modai’s return), he would work “as though it is permanent.” He vowed that the Tourism Ministry and tourism industry “which I love and believe in” would not suffer.
The Cabinet Sunday also approved the appointment of Moshe Nissim, the Finance Minister (Likud Liberal), as a member of the ten-member Inner Cabinet in place of Modai.
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