Last update - 00:00 22/02/2007
Olmert's aide: Social groups will miss having PM as welfare minister
By Mazal Mualem and Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondents
Social groups will miss having Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in charge of the welfare portfolio, an aide to the prime minister said Thursday in response to Isaac Herzog's appointment as welfare minister.
Herzog, who has served as tourism minister in the current cabinet, announced Thursday during a press conference in Tel Aviv's Beit Sokolov that he will cede the tourism portfolio in exchange for being appointed welfare minister.
"The social groups will miss yet having a welfare minister who serves as prime minister," said Vered Sued, the prime minister's adviser on social and welfare affairs.
"He [the prime minister] works tirelessly to increase the welfare budget, for the operation of well-baby clinics, for developing programs for children in danger and for expanding the activities of assistance centers," said Sued.
During his press conference, Herzog added that the ministry's name would be changed to "Social Affairs and Services Ministry," and that he is fully cooperating with Olmert in formulating a national plan to fight poverty and reducing social disparity that is to be released soon.
Social organizations on Thursday welcomed the appointment of a minister
for Social Affairs at last.
The social justice group Yedid, an association which aids the needy, praised Herzog's appointment, but said it found it unfortunate how often ministers switch portfolios.
"As he [Herzog] has said himself, it is not good to switch ministers all the time," said Ran Melamed, deputy director-general of Yedid. "He dealt with a clear area of employment and he did it well. In light of the prime minister's activities as welfare minister, in the transfer of budgets and other activations, maybe the welfare portfolio should have stayed with him [Olmert] and Herzog should have stayed in tourism."
Gideon Ben Israel, chairman of the Senior Citzens Federation, congratulated Herzog for "saving the honor of the Labor Party, which ran for elections with a social agenda and hasn't done a thing about it."
MK Shelly Yachimovitch (Labor), head of the Committee for Children's Rights, welcomed the appointment. "Herzog is a talented man and can get things done. His appointment is most felicitous news for dealing with difficult problems we repeatedly debated in the committee, but had no one to address them to."
In the past two weeks, factional tensions have deepened over the fact that none of the current Labor ministers wanted the Welfare Ministry, despite the fact that it would serve Labor's social agenda.
The tourism portfolio will be given to Yisrael Beiteinu. MK Esterina Tartman and MK Israel Hasson are both interested in the position, and it is still unclear which of the two will be appointed.
Yisrael Beiteinu will head the Knesset Finance Committee, after United Torah Judaism rejected Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's offer to join the coalition or support it from outside in exchange for a number of concessions.
Herzog said that he agreed to take the welfare portfolio after in-depth negotiations with Olmert, when the prime minister formally requested of him to leave the Tourism Ministry.
"The prime minister promised me budgets, and the option to bring about a real change in the Welfare Ministry," said Herzog. "The moment all my budgetary demands were met, I agreed to take on the welfare portfolio."
Herzog said that he was promised hundreds of millions of shekels for at-risk youth centers, shelters for battered women, and other social services. Olmert promised Herzog that he will also chair a ministerial committee on social issues and social services.
The Prime Minister's Office said that at Minister Herzog's request, the Social Affairs Ministry will participate in all staff work on economic plans that have social repercussions before they are submitted to the Cabinet. Herzog will also be responsible for liaison with Diaspora Jewish communities and the struggle against anti-Semitism.
MK Shalom Simhon (Labor) called Herzog's transfer "an example of a good public official."
Kadima had demanded that Labor give up one of its portfolios in return for the welfare ministry. Herzog was then asked by Peretz to cede the tourism portfolio, but argued that he is in the midst of work in the Tourism Ministry, and there is no reason to discontinue his tenure.
Knesset liaison Minister Yaakov Edri said Wednesday that it was Olmert's duty to appoint a welfare minister within a week. Edri made the statements during a hearing of the Knesset plenum, initiated by MK Ran Cohen (Meretz), regarding the formation of a parliamentary committee that would investigate the failure to appoint a welfare minister.
Kadima Coalition Chairman MK Avigdor Yitzhaki and other MKs vowed to support the formation of an investigative committee if no minister was appointed within a week. Cohen agreed to postpone the vote regarding the committee for a week, and said he expects coalition party heads to fulfill their parliamentary duties.