MK Esterina Tartman (Yisrael Beiteinu) has been chosen by her party's leader Avigdor Lieberman to assume the position of Tourism Minister. Lieberman has also chosen the relatively unknown MK Stas Misezhnikov to head the powerful Knesset Finance Committee. Both positions were "granted" the Yisrael Beiteinu party in exchange for its joining the coalition four months ago.

Lieberman said party colleague and former Deputy GSS Chief Yisrael Hasson would be tapped for the party's next ministerial spot - something he expects to materialize after the Labor Party primaries three months from now.

Tartman replaces Yitzchak Herzog of Labor, who took up the post of Welfare Minister last week. Previous to that, the position was manned by Moshe Katzav (Likud), Amnon Lipkin-Shachak (Labor), Rehavam Ze'evi (Moledet/National Union), Benny Elon (Moledet/National Union), Gideon Ezra (Likud), and Avraham Hirchson (Likud).

A 48-year-old mother of four, Tartman lives in New Givon, in territory north of Jerusalem liberated in 1967. She has a Masters in Economics and Marketing from Hebrew University, and a Bachelors from Bar Ilan University. She holds the record for most parachute drops by a woman in the IDF, from which she was released at the rank of Major. She performs volunteer reserve duty as City IDF Officer for Givat Ze'ev and the Binyamin region.

Described on her party's internet site as "observant of Sabbath and kashrut," Tartman was a bank deputy director and was on the boards of various companies.

Yariv Oppenheimer of Peace Now, the radical left-wing organization working to erase Jewish presence from Judea and Samaria, said, "Israel should be ashamed of the appointment of a woman with such racist positions as Minister of Tourism." Oppenheimer recalled that Tartman had criticized the appointment of Ralel Majadle as Israel's first Arab Cabinet minister.

MK Stas Misezhnikov, tapped to head the Knesset Finance Committee, was born in Moscow almost 38 years ago to the day. Married with three children, he immigrated to Israel at the age of 13. A former Knesset aide, marketing director and Rishon LeTzion municipal councilman, Misezhnikov heads the Knesset lobbies for municipalities and small and medium businesses.

Edelstein Returns to Knesset
Likud MK Danny Naveh announced his resignation from the Knesset today, and will be replaced by former MK Yuli Edelstein - a resident of Alon Shvut, in territory south of Jerusalem liberated in 1967. Former Public Security Minister Uzi Landau had been next in line on the Likud list, but decided not to return to the Knesset.

Edelstein, 49, a former Prisoner of Zion in the Soviet Union, served as an MK in the previous three Knessets. Naveh served as Health Minister under Ariel Sharon, while Edelstein served as Minister of Immigration under Binyamin Netanyahu.  Edelstein and Landau opposed the expulsion/withdrawal from Gush Katif.

Naveh also opposed the Disengagement plan, and in fact voted against it in most Knesset votes - except when doing so would have cost him his ministerial seat.  Then-Prime Minister Sharon threatened to fire any minister who voted against the plan in certain critical votes, and Naveh and others fell in line.  Naveh also refused to resign in protest of the expulsion.  Barely six months later, he had lost his ministerial position when Kadima swept into power - and now, a year and a half after the Disengagement, he has resigned from the Knesset altogether.