Labor votes against government

Party MKs, Minister oppose new ministerial appointments after Knesset votes against MK Braverman's appointment as Finance Committee chairman. Vice Premier Ramon estimates PM Olmert won't fire Labor minister over their vote. Despite revolt, government reshuffle approved by Knesset

Amnon Meranda|Published: 07.14.08 , 18:34

The Knesset plenum on Monday approved the government's request to appoint Knesset Member Eli Aflalo (Kadima) as immigrant absorption minister and Minister Ruhama Avraham-Balila (Kadima) as tourism minister. Forty-five MKs voted in favor of the motion, while 42 opposed it.

Likud faction chairman, MK Gideon Sa'ar, asked the Knesset to view the voting as a vote of confidence in the government. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is currently in Paris, also viewed this as a vote of confidence.

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The voting was followed by a political drama, after the appointment of Labor MK Avishay Braverman as chairman of the Finance Committee was not approved.

The Labor faction met for an urgent meeting and decided to vote against the ministerial appointments.

Minister Ami Ayalon concluded the paradox, saying that "it would be funny if we left the government over this issue of all issues."

Shas faction chairman, MK Yakov Margi, announced after the voting that Olmert must fire the Labor ministers immediately.

However, Kadima MK Tzachi Hanegbi, a close associate of the prime minister, noted that the Labor Party was right to claim that the promise to appoint Braverman was violated.

Acting Kadima faction chairman, MK Yoel Hasson, said that "the coalition, with the Labor Party in it, will continue to work and achieve its goal in agreement and cooperation.

Vice Premier Haim Ramon also estimated that the Labor ministers would not be dismissed.

Aflalo and Avraham-Balila (Photo: Dudi Vaaknin)

MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) said during the Knesset discussion that the coalition's conduct was "an act of fraud and deceit. This is likely aimed at trying to dissolve the government, not over the corruption cases, the investigations and the failures, but on a so-called semi-background. If a vote is held today, I will recommend that the Labor Party quit the coalition."

A source in the prime minister's entourage in Paris said that Olmert was "updated on the political crisis, and will deal with it upon returning to Israel tonight." Olmert welcomed the new ministerial appointments and expressed his commitment to work for Braverman's appointment as Finance Committee chairman.

Tourism Ministry passed from hand to hand

The planned government reshuffle was stuck for months due to various reasons. The government approved Avraham-Balila's appointment at the beginning of the month, but it soon turned out that the Knesset approval depends on a package deal between the Kadima and Labor parties.

The deal included upgrading Aflalo and Avraham-Balila's status in exchange for Braverman's appointment as Finance Committee chairman instead of MK Stas Misezhnikov (Yisrael Beiteinu).

Earlier, however, the Knesset's House Committee rejected the coalition's request to approve Braverman's appointment.

The Tourism Minister is still waiting for its fourth minister since the Ehud Olmert government was established. The first minister to accept the role was Labor's Isaac Herzog, who was replaced by Yisrael Beiteinu's Yitzhak Aharonovitch in March 2007. When Yisrael Beiteinu quit the goverhment in January 2008, Olmert took over the ministry until May, when Environment Minister Gideo Ezra was appointed temporary tourism minister.