Israeli parliament okays new justice minister appointment

Israeli Knesset (parliament) approved on Wednesday the appointment of Professor Daniel Friedman as the new justice minister, Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on its website.

The approval, by a vote of 50 to 24 with one abstention, came after the cabinet unanimously endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's nomination of Friedman for the post in a special meeting on Tuesday evening.

The 71-year-old Friedman was the winner of the 1991 Israel Prize for achievements in the field of law and former dean at Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Law.

He was chosen by Olmert to replace former minister Haim Ramon after his conviction of indecent behavior for forcibly kissing a female soldier.

Former Justice Minister Haim Ramon, 56, resigned in Aug. 2006 following charges of sexual harassment.

On Jan. 31, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court delivered a verdict, ruling Ramon guilty for having kissed a young female soldier against her will in July 2006.

After Ramon's resignation, Olmert appointed Housing and Construction Minister Meir Sheetrit as interim justice minister on Aug. 23, 2006.

On Nov. 29, 2006, Olmert appointed Tzipi Livni as justice minister in addition to her current position as Foreign Minister. Livni agreed to take the position until the verdict of Ramon's case is given.

Besides Ramon, several Israeli political leaders have been plagued by sex and money scandals. President Moshe Katsav has taken a leave of absence after Israel's attorney general planned to indict him on charges of raping and sexually assaulting a female employee.

Prime Minister Olmert is also being investigated for his alleged role in the 2005 privatization of an Israeli bank and is suspected of allegedly appointing cronies to a business authority before he was elected prime minister.

Source: Xinhua