Last update - 00:00 06/02/2007
PM Olmert to decide on new justice minister by Tuesday
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent
Professor Amnon Rubinstein is the candidate most likely to be appointed justice minister Kadima sources said Monday, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's aides said a final decision had not yet been made.
Olmert is expected to name a new justice minister on Tuesday.
The four candidates are former education minister, Professor Amnon Rubinstein; Israel Prize laureate, law Professor Daniel Friedman, president of the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, Professor Uriel Reichman; and Judge Boaz Okun.
Olmert said he will have the nomination ratified and that he will fill all the vacant cabinet seats by the end of the week. His aides are negotiating with the Labor and Yisrael Beiteinu factions over ministers for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Science and Sports.
"I will make my decision by tomorrow morning and by the end of the week we will have a justice minister," Olmert said at Kadima's faction session Monday.
The new minister will lead the judiciary through one of the most sensitive periods ever, since some of the establishment's most prominent figures are facing criminal investigations or charges. These include the state's president, the prime minister, the finance minister and MK Tzachi Hanegbi whose trial is to open next month.
Since his testimony before the Winograd Committee, Olmert has been preoccupied with finding a justice minister to replace Haim Ramon, who was convicted last Wednesday.
Many of his advisers recommended appointing a justice minister from outside the political system. They suggested a well-known and highly regarded jurist, who will be able to quickly stabilize the Justice Ministry and ease the tensions between government and judiciary.
Olmert decided over the weekend to take this advice, which meant having to pass up on his confidant, Interior Minister Roni Bar-On, who was keen on the post. Bar-On realized on Sunday that Olmert was not going to appoint him and announced that he was stepping down.
Senior Kadima sources said that by rejecting Bar-On, Olmert had pushed away his last supporter in the party, a man who was willing to defend the prime minister at every turn.
After appointing a justice minister, Olmert will have to appoint a minister for social affairs. This issue is causing internal disputes in Labor, as none of its ministers is willing to give up his ministry for social affairs, despite the party's social agenda.
Olmert and Labor's teams met for the first time yesterday. Olmert's team consisted of cabinet secretary Yisrael Maimon and coalition chair Avigdor Yitzhaki. Peretz sent Labor secretary-general, Minister Eitan Cabel, and faction chair Yoram Marciano.
Maimon and Yitzhaki told them they could have the social affairs portfolio in exchange for another. They did not ask for the defense, science and technology, agriculture or education portfolios. This left national infrastructures, held by Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, and tourism, held by Isaac Herzog. Cabel and Marciano promised to give their answer today.
Meanwhile, speculations spread in Labor that party leader Amir Peretz and Marciano were planning to give away the Tourism Ministry in exchange for social affairs. Herzog was angry and demanded clarifications.
Cabel issued a statement saying no such decision had been made.
Ultimately, Labor is expected to forgo the social affairs portfolio, which Olmert will probably offer to Yisrael Beiteinu or Shas and the Pensioners Party in exchange for another portfolio.
Olmert has promised Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman an additional portfolio and the chair of another Knesset committee, probably the Finance Committee.