Muslim named Cabinet minister

The Israeli government overwhelmingly approved the appointment of the country’s first Muslim Cabinet minister Sunday, billing it as an important step for a long-suffering minority.

But the appointment of Raleb Majadele drew renewed criticism from hard-liners who said the move was little more than political expediency. Even Arab lawmakers dismissed the development, saying the government has little real interest in improving the lot of Israel’s Arabs.

Majadele, a parliamentary backbencher from the Labor party, says his appointment is meant to give representation to Israel’s Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of the country’s 7 million citizens.

Israel’s parliament has always had Arab lawmakers – today, they number 13 members out of 120. But the country has had only one Arab Cabinet minister before: Salah Tarif, a Druse, who was appointed in 2001 and forced to resign nine months later under a cloud of corruption allegations.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip

Saudi king urges peace negotiations

Saudi Arabia’s king urged Palestinian rival factions Sunday to hold talks in the holy city of Mecca as fighting between the Hamas and Fatah movements persisted in Gaza.

Early today, Hamas fighters mobilized around the main Fatah stronghold, the Preventive Security headquarters, and threatened to attack. Information Minister Youssef Rizka of Hamas warned the two sides were close to civil war and called President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah to withdraw his forces.

Saudi King Abdullah called the factional fighting a “shame” that has undermined the Palestinian cause and urged both sides to join talks mediated by his country, Saudi Arabia’s official news agency reported.

Both sides welcomed the Saudi king’s offer but did not say when talks might be held.

Thirty Palestinians, including two children, have died during the latest outburst of street fighting that began Thursday.

DAVOS, Switzerland

U.S., N. Korea plan financial talks

A senior Treasury official said the groundwork has been laid for U.S.-North Korea talks Tuesday on U.S. financial restrictions against the North’s alleged smuggling and counterfeiting, which have angered Pyongyang and held up separate talks on scrapping its nuclear weapons program.

U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert M. Kimmitt said the talks will resume in Beijing at North Korea’s request.

“I would say these talks are proceeding in a business-like fashion,” he said in an interview Saturday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

In a sign of stepped-up diplomacy with Pyongyang, the U.S.-North Korea talks will be quickly followed in early February by another round of six-nation negotiations on the North’s nuclear program. The nuclear talks involve the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas.