Netanyahu considering appointing Druze minister

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is considering appointing a Druze cabinet minister, Likud sources said Sunday.

"There's no reason we shouldn't keep up the tradition of appointing a non-Jewish minister," Netanyahu is said to have told senior party figures.

Allies of MK Ayoob Kara are calling for him to be appointed transportation minister, as he is the most senior non-Jewish Likud faction member, served in the military and comes from a bereaved family.

Senior Druze officers also have called on Netanyahu to include a member of their community in his government.

Kara's associates said it was particularly important to appoint him given that prospective members of this right-wing government have called on Israeli Arab citizens to prove their loyalty to the state.

"The government must show that it intends to address the issues of Israel's non-Jewish public by appointing a minority as minister," Kara's associates said.