Shalom (left), Kahlon (center) and Netanyahu following Likud primaries
צילום: אלי אלגרט
Shalom resigns from government
Shalom last of the Likud ministers to resign from government, after three others, Limor Livnat, Danny Naveh and Yisrael Katz, did so on Thursday
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has submitted his letter of resignation from government on Friday to the cabinet secretariat.
Shalom is the last of the Likud ministers to resign from government, after the three others, Limor Livnat, Danny Naveh and Yisrael Katz, did so on Thursday; their resignations are set to go into effect on Sunday.
Shalom’s move came following a meeting with Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, during which the two were able to agree on Shalom’s resignation from the government.
Surprising development
The meeting was set up following disagreements between Shalom and Bibi following the latter’s order that Likud ministers all quit the government.
Netanyahu and Shalom both took the stage at the party’s Central Committee, where members chose their list of Knesset candidates ahead of the March elections.
The Committee pushed the Likud “rebels” who brought about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s resignation from the party to the bottom part of the Knesset list, while younger members were pushed to the forefront.
However, in a surprising development, moderate “rebel” Moshe Kahlon won the primaries and guaranteed himself the third spot, after Netanyahu and Shalom.
Meanwhile, Kadima is already in the process of replacing the Likud ministers.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to be named as Israel's foreign minister, while Shimon Peres will apparently be named as minister for developing the Negev and Galilee with additional powers to take part in talks with the Palestinians.
Olmert is apparently set to designate Livni, one of Kadima's brightest stars, as the foreign minister following the elections, should Kadima win as polls predict. Livni also serves as the Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
