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Salah Tarif, First Arab To Serve In Israeli Cabinet
TEL AVIV, March 2 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Salah Tarif, a Druze, who Friday was selected as the first Arab to serve in an Israeli cabinet, has spent much of his life promoting the Arab minority in the Jewish state.
As an Arab was included in the Israeli cabinet for the first time, the new Israeli government of Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon is taking shape, with ministers chosen from several parties across the political spectrum, including jobs to two small ultra-nationalist right-wing parties, according to the BBC.
Unlike other Israeli Arabs, the Druze, a small religious sect that numbers 80,000 in Israel, serve in the Israeli military, where Tarif became a parachutist commander.
Born in northern Galilee in the Druze village of Julis, Tarif was president of the student body at Haifa University, where he majored in psychology.
A 47-year-old father of four, he entered politics by becoming mayor of his hometown.
He joined parliament in 1991 as a member of the left-leaning Labor party and quickly rose to powerful positions, including chairman of the interior committee. He also served as deputy interior minister.
At a convention in Tel Aviv, the Labor party chose Tarif to serve as minister without portfolio in the unity government led by right-wing Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon.
"I'm surprised and filled with emotion. This is a historic moment, as this isn't a nomination or a gift but an election," Tarif told public radio.
"I'll do all I can to represent the Arab minority with dignity and to advance policies that promote equality in rights for all citizens," he said.
The Druze, who practice a faith that broke off from Islam in the 11th century, are Arabs, but Israelis view them as different.
Israeli radio did not announce Tarif as the first Arab to serve in the cabinet, but rather as the first non-Jew.
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