The Minister of Minorities is a member of the

Israeli cabinet The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...

. The post was resurrected in 1999, as a ministerial responsibility under a

Minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

, after having previously existed as an independent office in the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

between 1948 and 1949 (as the Minister of Minority Affairs). The post is currently held by

Shalom Simhon Shalom Simhon ( he, שלום שמחון, born 7 December 1956) is an Israeli politician and former member of the Knesset for Independence and the Labor Party. He previously served as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour and Minister of ...

History

The Ministry of Minority Affairs was founded after independence, and was the only new ministry not based on

Yishuv Yishuv ( he, ישוב, literally "settlement"), Ha-Yishuv ( he, הישוב, ''the Yishuv''), or Ha-Yishuv Ha-Ivri ( he, הישוב העברי, ''the Hebrew Yishuv''), is the body of Jewish residents in the Land of Israel (corresponding to the s ...

institutions. The ministerial post was held by

Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit ( he, בכור-שלום שטרית, 1895 – 28 January 1967) was an Israeli politician, minister and the only signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence to have been born in the country. He served as Minister o ...

, 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 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

, as well as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...

, who vetoed Sheetrit's proposal for an Arab advisory council in the ministry.Alan Dowty (1998) ''The Jewish State: A Century Later, Updated With a New Preface'', University of California Press, p190 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. Following its closure, Arab-related matters were handled by an advisor on Arab affairs in the Prime Minister's Office. During the unity governments that lasted from 1984 until 1990, responsibility for Israeli Arab affairs was given to a Minister without Portfolio;

Ezer Weizman Ezer Weizman (; he, עֵזֶר וַיצְמָן ''Ezer Vaytsman''; 15 June 1924 – 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Ai ...

( Yahad/

Alignment Alignment may refer to: Archaeology * Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks * Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones Biology * Structu ...

Moshe Arens Moshe Arens (27 December 1925 – 7 January 2019) was an Israeli aeronautical engineer, researcher, diplomat and Likud politician. A member of the Knesset between 1973 and 1992 and again from 1999 until 2003, he served as Minister of Defense th ...

(

Likud Likud ( he, הַלִּיכּוּד, HaLikud, The Consolidation), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement, is a major centre-right to right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon ...

) and

Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert (; he, אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and ...

(Likud).Dowty, p191 On 18 June 1996

Moshe Katsav Moshe Katsav ( he, מֹשֶׁה קַצָּב; born 5 December 1945) is an Israeli former politician who was the List of Presidents of Israel, eighth President of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was also a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset ...

, then deputy Prime Minister, was also appointed as "Minister for Israeli Arab Affairs". During the 27th government,

Matan Vilnai Matan Vilnai ( he, מַתָּן וִילְנָאִי; born 20 May 1944) is an Israeli politician and a former major general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A former Knesset member and government minister, he was appointed ambassador to Chin ...

served as Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Arab-Israeli affairs. In the 29th government,

Salah Tarif Salah Tarif ( ar, صالح طريف, Ṣāliḥ Ṭarīf, he, סאלח טריף; born 9 February 1954) is a Druze Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1992 and 2006. When appointed Minister without Portfolio by Ariel S ...

, a

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

, served as a

Minister in the Prime Minister's Office A Minister in the Prime Minister's Office ( he, שר במשרד ראש הממשלה, ''Sar BeMisrad Rosh HaMemshala'') is a minister and member of the Cabinet of Israel appointed by the Prime Minister of Israel to handle various issues on behalf o ...

with the responsibility on Minorities Affairs. In the current government

Avishay Braverman Avishay Braverman ( he, אבישי ברוורמן, born 15 January 1948) is an economics professor, politician, and Israeli public figure. Having held senior positions as economist at the World Bank, he was later elected as fifth president of the ...

, a Minister without Portfolio, was also responsible for Minorities Affairs until 17 January 2011 when he resigned.

List of ministers

References

{{authority control Minorities *Ministry of Minorities Minorities Israel, Minorities Israel, Minorities Israel, Minorities