Last update - 00:00 12/09/2007
Labor MK Ayalon to join cabinet as a minister without portfolio
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
After weeks of negotiations with Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak, MK Ami Ayalon has announced that he will join the government as a minister without portfolio.
Ayalon, who was Barak's chief opponent in the Labor Party primary, will serve as a member of the Ministerial Committee on Security Issues and as chairman of the Knesset State Control Committee.
Ayalon will therefore be responsible for implementing the recommendations outlined in the state comptroller's report on the performance of the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command during the Second Lebanon War.
The decision was made during a meeting at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday night, which was attended by Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon and Labor Party Central Committee Chairman MK Eldad Yaniv.
Ayalon expressed his gratitude to Barak for the appointment and vowed to support the Labor party chief in the next prime ministerial elections.