Israel

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Israel

Basic Laws Jerusalem Law Law of Return President of Israel Shimon Peres Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Deputy leaders Cabinet Security Cabinet Kitchen Cabinet State Comptroller Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin Members Leader of the Opposition Tzipi Livni Elections: 2006, 2009 Parties Elections Law Central Elections Committee Referendums Judicial system Supreme Court Attorney General Menachem Mazuz Districts Local government City council Local councils Regional councils Foreign affairs Israel and the UN Israel and the EU Ambassadors Israeli-Palestinian conflict Arab-Israeli conflict International Law Arab League

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal view • talk • edit

The Kitchen (Hebrew: המטבח‎, HaMitbah) or The Kitchen Cabinet (Hebrew: המטבחון‎, HaMitbahon, lit. The kitchenette) is a term used in Israeli politics to describe the collection of senior officials, or unofficial advisers to the Security Cabinet of Israel, as a narrow forum of 'Inner Security Cabinet', operating alongside the Security Cabinet, with the purpose of assisting it in formulating security assessments and policy, in preparation for debating and resolving these issues within the appropriate legal forums.

Contents 1 History 2 Members 2.1 The Narrow Kitchen Cabinet 3 See also 4 References

[edit] History

The first appearance of the term in Israel, is associated with "cooking" activities that is accompanied in Kitchen activities, and especially in former Prime Minister Golda Meir's custom to summon such consultations on Shabbat evenings at her home, in preparation for her full Cabinet meetings the following day. Since Prime Minister Golda Meir became known for custom to serve the attendees with a cake that she had just baked, the image of a debate around her kitchen table naturally arose. Nicknamed also "Golda's Kitchen", usually included, Moshe Dayan, Yigal Allon, Yisrael Galili, and Yaakov Shimshon Shapira, whom were accompanied with various senior officials whenever required.

The Kitchen attendees praised it as a preliminary assessment apparatus, while its opposers have claimed it to be a manner of emptying the authorized governmental bodies.

Benjamin Netanyahu's first Cabinet, the twenty-seventh government, maintained such a forum which included: Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs Minister David Levy, and Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai. The panel was nullified in 1997, after Ariel Sharon's nomination for the Minister of Finance post was taken into consideration and he demanded that he joined the Kitchen, after receiving this position, a demand which caused David Levy to quit the Kitchen.

After David Levy quit the kitchen, the forum's activities were renewed in 1998, and it included Netanyahu, Mordechai, Sharon, and then Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Natan Sharansky (though intermittently, even David Levy). In January 1999, following a cabinet reshuffle in the Defense Ministry, Netanyahu announced that the Kitchen would be disbanded and replaced by a Ministers' team that included himself, Sharon, new Defense Minister Moshe Arens, and the National Security Advisor.

[edit] Members

As of 2009, the Netanyahu government's kitchen cabinet includes:

1. Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister
2. Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister
3. Ehud Barak, Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
4. Benny Begin, Minister without portfolio
5. Dan Meridor Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy and Deputy Prime Minister
6. Silvan Shalom, Development of the Negev and Galilee Minister and Vice Prime Minister
7. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Industry, Trade and Labour Minister
8. Moshe Ya'alon, Minister of Strategic Affairs and Vice Prime Minister

[edit] The Narrow Kitchen Cabinet

As of 2009, the 'Inner Kitchen Cabinet', known as the Narrow Kitchen Cabinet (Hebrew: המטבחון המצומצם‎, HaMitbahon HaMetzumtzam)^[1] includes Netanyahu, Lieberman and Barak.^[1]

[edit] See also

• Security Cabinet of Israel
• Kitchen Cabinet

[edit] References