Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced Tourism Minister (Likud) Yariv Levin will receive the post of Immigration & Absorption Minister, taking the place of Sofia Landver of the Yisrael Beitenu party, as the party resigned from the coalition. Party leader, MK Avigdor Lieberman, also resigned as Defense Minister. He stated he cannot remain in the cabinet or coalition due to his total disagreement with the government’s handling of defense and security matters, particularly Hamas rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel.

On Sunday morning at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu reiterated his promise to appoint a minister of absorption until midnight, and within a month to appoint a foreign minister. Netanyahu was expected to appoint Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely as Absorption Minister, but Netanyahu surprised her last night by issuing a statement that he had decided to appoint Levin to the post in question, in addition to the tourism portfolio Levin has been holding in recent years.

The appointment of Levin was approved by members of the cabinet in a phone poll.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)