May Golan
May GolanYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

The Knesset on Monday evening approved the government's decision to establish the Ministry for the Advancement of the Status of Women and to appoint Minister May Golan of the Likud to the position of Minister for the Advancement of the Status of Women.

In addition, the Knesset approved transferring to Minister Golan the powers given to the Minister of Social Equality. 38 MKs supported the decision compared to 23 who opposed it.

Golan took the podium to give a speech before the vote on her nomination and criticized the opposition.

"Does the left have ownership of women's rights, animal rights, refugee rights? Do these rights belong to only one side? I came from the fight against infiltrators in southern Tel Aviv, where I met women who were raped and beaten. But by whom? Illegal infiltrators did it but that doesn't serve the supreme goal of the left. They sit quietly and don't talk about it," she said.

About two weeks ago, Channel 12 News reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trying to convince Golan to be appointed to the position of Israeli Consul General in New York, in place of Asaf Zamir.

Later, however, Netanyahu walked back the appointment, after it was criticized Jewish leaders from the left, as well as some officials in the government, and even by the US State Department, whose deputy spokesman criticized Golan over past comments on the infiltrators in Tel Aviv.

Golan on Sunday accused members of the government of leaking information against her, causing Netanyahu to walk back her appointment, though she did not specify what was leaked against her and by whom.