Danon enters Science Ministry with hopes for spreading science to periphery

Likud MK assumes post following firing last July from his position as deputy defense minister for criticizing PM's handling of Gaza war.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Science, Technology and Space Minister Danny Danon (photo credit: Courtesy)
Science, Technology and Space Minister Danny Danon
(photo credit: Courtesy)
On his first day as Science, Technology and Space Minister, Likud MK Danny Danon said: “We must ensure that the scientific and technological world is not a world closed to haredim [the ultra-Orthodox], minorities or residents of the periphery. We will work hard to strengthen research and development, with stress on applications, and ensure that all children are exposed to science and, if they choose it, to achieve.”
 
Danon, who last July was fired from his position as deputy defense minister by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after publicly criticizing his handling of Operation Protective Edge, said he dreams of the day when an Israeli from the periphery will win a Nobel Prize.
“We will create a scientific bridge that will reach the door of every boy and girl in Israel,” he added.
 
Ministry director-general Ido Shari welcomed Danon and said effort must be made to make sure that the future scientific infrastructure -- human and physical -- will keep up with that in the rest of the world and even go beyond what exists elsewhere.