Minorities Minister of Israel

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The Minister of Minorities is a member of the Israeli cabinet. The post was resurrected in 1999, as a ministerial responsibility under a Minister without portfolio, after having previously existed as an independent office in the provisional government between 1948 and 1949 (as the Minister of Minority Affairs). The post is currently held by Shalom Simhon.

History

The Ministry of Minority Affairs was founded after independence, and was the only new ministry not based on Yishuv institutions.^[1] The ministerial post was held by Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit, an Arabic speaker who was popular with the country's Arab population. Sheetrit attempted to promote integration and equality, but was hamstrung by the Military Government, which controlled most Arab areas after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, as well as Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who vetoed Sheetrit's proposal for an Arab advisory council in the ministry. ^[2]

Following disagreements with the Ministry of Religions and the Military government (which controlled most Arab areas after the war had ended), the Ministry of Minority Affairs was closed in 1949.^[2] Following its closure, Arab-related matters were handled by an advisor on Arab affairs in the Prime Minister's Office.

On 18 June 1996 Moshe Katsav, then deputy Prime Minister, was also appointed as "Minister for Israeli Arab Affairs". During the 27th government, Matan Vilnai served as Chairman of the Ministerial Committtee for Arab-Israeli affairs. In the 29th government, Salah Tarif, a Druze, served as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with the responsibility on Minorities Affairs. In the current government Avishay Braverman, a Minister without Portfolio, was also responsible for Minorities Affairs until 17 January 2011 when he resigned. A day later Matan Vilnai was announced as the new minister, but was replaced on 19 January by Shalom Simhon after complaints that minorities did not want to be under the Defense Ministry.^[3]

List of Ministers

Minister	Party	Governments	Dates in office	Jon title
Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit	Sephardim and Oriental Communities	Provisional	12 April 1948 - 8 March 1949	Minister for Minority Affairs
Moshe Katsav	Likud	28	18 June 1996 - 6 July 1999	Minister for Israeli Arab Affairs
Salah Tarif	Labor Party	29	7 March 2001 - 29 January 2002	Minister in the Prime Minister's Office with the responsibility for Minorities Affairs
Avishay Braverman	Labor Party	32	31 March 2009 - 17 January 2011	Minister of Minorities
Shalom Simhon	Independence	32	19 January 2011 - present	Minister of Minorities

References

1. ^ Peled, Alisa Rubin (2002) The Other Side of 1948: The Forgotten Benevolence of Bechor Shalom Shitrit and the Ministry of Minority Affairs Israel Affairs, Vol.8, No.3, pp 84-103
2. ^ ^{a b} Dowty, Alan (1988) The Jewish State : A Century Later University of California Press
3. ^ PM announces creation of Homeland Security Ministry The Jerusalem Post, 19 January 2011