An Israeli lawmaker called for a recently appointed Arab Cabinet
minister to undergo security checks. Aryeh Eldad of the right-wing National
Union recently wrote to the Shin Bet security service demanding that it vet
Science, Culture and Sports Minister Ghaled Majadla, Ma’ariv revealed Sunday.
According to Eldad, Majadla may not be fit to handle the science
portfolio, which touches on matters of Israeli national security. The Shin
Bet had no immediate comment, but Majadla, a member of the center-left Labor
Party, rejected the suspicions leveled against him.
“Knesset Member Aryeh
Eldad’s racist ideas have no place in Israeli public life,” he said. It was
not immediately clear what Eldad’s security concerns are, as the Science
Ministry does not oversee nuclear projects or military endeavors.
