Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar decided to appoint Knesset Deputy Speaker MK Michel Buskila (New Hope-United Right) as Deputy Foreign Minister on Wednesday, with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Buskila currently serves as a member of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, as chairman of its Foreign Policy and Publicity Subcommittee, and as a member of the Intelligence Subcommittee.
The decision will be submitted to the government for approval on Wednesday and will take effect on Thursday evening. In accordance with the law, Buskila will assume the new position upon the announcement of the appointment being delivered to the Knesset.
Former deputy FM Sharren Haskel resigned over haredi draft bill
Buskila’s appointment comes one day after previous deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) announced that she was resigning from the government over the passing of legislation that froze the arrests of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft evaders.
Haskel stated that she resigned because she “can no longer support a government that harms the security of the country during wartime.”
Haskel was among the minority of members of Netanyahu’s coalition to vote in opposition to the bill.
Keshet Neev contributed to this report.