Israel Cabinet Votes Dan Halutz Chief of Staff

Following are Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:

“This morning, the Cabinet will vote on the appointment of Maj.-Gen.. Dan Halutz as the 18th IDF Chief-of-Staff, as per the approval of the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service appointments chaired by retired Judge Gabriel Bach. Maj.-Gen. Halutz will assume his post on 1.6.05.

I am certain that Maj.-Gen. Halutz will be an excellent Chief-of-Staff and will lead the IDF well ahead of the complex missions that await it.

On behalf of the entire Government, I want to thank Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya’alon, who has served as IDF Chief-of-Staff with great success, has led it to impressive achievements, and who played a very important role in the campaign against terrorism, a campaign that is still continuing.

This morning, the Cabinet will discuss attorney Talia Sasson’s opinion on the issue of unauthorized outposts.  The evacuation of unauthorized outposts is part of Israel’s commitments according to the roadmap, as it was approved by the Cabinet.  Today, the Cabinet will approve, in coordination with Attorney General Meni Mazuz, the establishment of a ministerial committee that will consider the ways of implementing the opinion.”

© Scoop Media