Knesset Briefs

Asher Wallfish and Dan Izenberg - The Jerusalem Post - January 28, 1993

Hammer denies giving posts to cronies

Former religious affairs minister Zevulun Hammer denied a report from the state control committee on Tuesday that he had been involved in getting posts for his cronies - or anybody else - as village rabbis.

Ministry deputy director-general Ze'ev Rosenberg also denied a statement attributed to him in the committee's press release, in which he was quoted as alleging that Hammer and his successor Avner Shaki had carried out such appointments in violation of ministry procedure.

Kupat Holim staffers to fight cutbacks

Haim Baranes, chairman of Kupat Holim Clalit's staff committee, warned the labor and social affairs committee yesterday the committee would "not let the salary of any staffer be cut and we shall not permit the dismissal of one single staffer. This government does not intend to get the health fund into running order: it intends to liquidate it."

Tichon: Recycling saves money

"This stupid country buys used cartons collected from New York supermarkets at the price of new cartons, while it throws cartons into the garbage bin," Likud MK Dan Tichon complained at the interior committee meeting yesterday, in a hearing on the proposed Recycling Law.

MKs: Don't raise justices' retirement age

Members of the law committee spoke out against the reported proposal of Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak to raise the retirement age for Supreme Court judges from 70 to 75 years of age. According to Ha'aretz, Barak made the proposal to enable Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar, who is approaching retirement age, to continue in office for five more years.

Plea for Pollard

Hanan Porat (National Religious Party) said he would present to the US Embassy today a petition signed by 80 MKs, calling for President Bill Clinton to pardon convicted spy Jonathan Pollard. Porat and Naomi Blumenthal (Likud) made impassioned pleas in the plenum for Pollard's release from prison.

Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin urged the Knesset not to debate the issue and not to make a collective decision regarding Pollard. The plenum accepted his proposal and agreed not to discuss the matter further.