New Negev and Galilee Minister Shalom wants Kiryat Shmona-Eilat train

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
New Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom said on Wednesday that he would work to ensure that train tracks would be laid to connect Israel's southernmost point in Eilat to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. Speaking at a ceremony in which he took over the reins of the ministry from Kadima's Ya'acov Edri, Shalom said it was special for him to hold the ministry, because he was raised in Beersheba. Shalom only joined the cabinet at the last minute due to a dispute with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. While Shalom fought for a more prestigious ministry, he said he was happy with what he ended up with. "Any ministry can be used to make important changes," Shalom said at the event.