The Cabinet has approved the appointment of Hashem Hussein – formerly of the Prime Minister’s Office, where he was involved in minorities sector planning and development – as Director General of the Regional Cooperation Ministry. The decision was made on Sunday 22 Elul at the weekly cabinet meeting.

The Regional Cooperation Ministry is currently led by Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara who, like Director General Hussein, is a member of Israel’s Druse community. The two men will be active in developing new links with Arab countries and in advancing Israel’s Druse and Circassian communities.

Hashem Hussein, born in 1971 and a native of Rama in the upper Galil, attained the rank of major in the IDF, where he served in the Yehuda and Shomron Legal Adviser’s Office. He holds two master’s degrees, in public administration and Middle Eastern studies, respectively.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)