Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked to run for PM elections

Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked to run for PM elections

JERUSALEM - Israel's justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has said she might eventually run for the office of prime minister of the Jewish state, after an Austrian diamond tycoon said he has chosen her as a candidate for the slot.

Joseph Gutnick is an Australian businessman and mining industry entrepreneur. He is also an ordained rabbi and is well known for his philanthropy in the Jewish world.

According to Israeli media, In 1996, when the incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had almost the election, the last-minute boost form him to win the race came from Gutnick.

The campaign started two days before the May 29 election, when banners went up at junctions across the country with the slogan “Netanyahu is good for the Jews.”

It was financed by Australian billionaire Joseph Gutnick, a Chabad rabbi who made by mining diamonds in Australia’s Northern Territory.

In a recent Interview with a leading English language newspaper, the rabbi said he has chosen his candidate to succeed Netanyahu whenever he leaves office: Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.

Reacting to his comments, Shaked said: “I am very thankful to Gutnick for the compliment."

“Right now, we have a prime minister in Benjamin Netanyahu, and after him, [Bayit Yehudi leader] Naftali Bennett is most fit. But in the distant future, everything is open.” - APP/AFP