Blow to Atias: Kichlon appointed chairman of the Israel Lands Administration

A day before the election Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a last minute election trick: he announced the appointment of the Minister of Social Affairs and Communications, Moshe Kichlon, for the role of Chairman of the Israel Lands Administration. The role was until today in the hands of the Housing Minister Ariel Atias.


Information headquarters from the Likud Party said that the appointment is designed to "significantly reduce housing costs for all Israeli citizens, especially young couples and veterans."


Netanyahu said: "I welcome the Minister Kichlon who has undertaken this important task and I promise to give him all the backing as I did when reforming the media.

I also promise to reduce the housing prices so I welcome the Minister Kichlon for his decision to accept the role of Chairman of the Israel Lands Administration which will be transferred to the responsibility of the Prime Minister after the elections. Moshe Kichlon is the right man at the right time to carry out lower housing prices."


Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Judge Elyakim Rubinstein, banned to broadcast on the television and radio channels at the Likud-Beitenu press conference - where Netanyahu announced the appointment of Moshe Kichlon - because it is against the law, which forbids the broadcasting of propaganda.

This is not the first time Kichlon replaces Atias's job. With the establishment of the government in 2009, he was succeeded by the Ministry of Communications.

Avodah petitioned against the appointment, Shas is angry
Immediately after Netanyahu's message the Avodah Party announced that they petitioned against the appointment. Attorney General of the party, Mr. Amichai Weinberger, made an urgent appeal to the judge Rubinstein, State Comptroller Yosef Shapiro and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein demanding them to operate their authority and terminate the appointment of Kichlon as chairman of the Israel Lands Administration.


"This "promise" or "appointment" was given in contrast to the Basic Law: Israel Lands, and contrary to the instructions of the Attorney General," wrote the party in the petition.

Shas leader Aryeh Deri, whose colleague is the main victim of his appointment, said: "Netanyahu and Lieberman are busy all the time in distribution of offices. Shas refuses to participate in the offices campaign of Netanyahu, which will not hide the painful truth: 1.8 million poor citizens for whom the elections are a matter of life and not of spins."


According to Deri, the appointment was "a desperate move at the last minute."

Housing Minister, Ariel Atias, who in his role was head of the Israel Lands Administration Council, attacked the appointment of Minister Moshe Kichlon for the position and said that Prime Minister Netanyahu was the one who opposed throughout his term to lowering land prices.


According to Atias, Netanyahu speculated the land in order to enrich the treasury.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!