The government has approved Minister of Finance Abraham Hirchson's proposal to appoint a new advisory committee and an advisory council for the Bank of Israel.
Migdal Insurance chairman Aharon Fogel was appointed as the head of both bodies., Yaacov Sheinin, a leading Israeli economist, was appointed as his deputy also for both advisory bodies. Additional committee members include: Mirna Jehashan, Bank Leumi CEO Yael Moritz, Galia Maor, Liza Haimovitch, Bank Hapolaim Chairman Shlomo Nehama, Discount Bank Shlomo Zohar, Mizrahi-Tefahot Bank CEO Eliezer Yones, Dr. Yaacov Neeman and Aryeh Zeiff.
The new committee members are Aryeh Zeiff, a very close associate of both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Hirchson; Zohar, and Liza Haimovitch. The rest of the members have served in the past.
Most of the appointed members of the advisory council are new to the position. Dan Rothschild, was a senior intelligence official who has served as IDF coordinator in the territories, and is considered an associate of Olmert
By law, the functions of the advisory council include, advising the governor of the Bank of Israel on matters of the nominal value, shape, content and other details of the legally mandated issues of currency.
In April 2006, the government revived the advisory committee and appointed an advisory council, after a hiatus of several years. Because of the urgency of the appointments and because the appointments were made prior to the creation of a new government, it was decided that the appointments would be for three months only, meaning until the end of June 2006.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on September 10, 2006
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