Occupied Jerusalem: October 31, 2002 (IAP News): Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has unofficially appointed former chief of staff Gen. Shaul Mofaz (see photo) as Israel’s new Defense Minister, replacing Benyamin Ben Eliiezer who’s Labor Party left the Sharon-led government Wednesday.

Mofaz, who is widely suspected of ordering and overseeing serious war crimes against Palestinian civilians, reportedly accept Sharon’s offer.

Israeli sources said the new defense minister would be officially instated in his position either Friday or early next week.

Crimes attributed to Mofaz including, inter alia, ordering the assassination of more than 150 Palestinian political and resistance leaders, demolishing thousands of civilian homes in Gaza and the West Bank, ordering indiscriminate and aerial bombardment of densely-populated areas, bombing of public buildings and facilities such as the Palestinian harbor and airport in Gaza and denying civilians access to medical attention.

Mofaz also oversaw the Israeli carnage at the Jenin refugee camp in April during which entire civilian neighborhoods were erased and hundreds of civilians were either killed or crushed under the treads of Israeli bulldozers.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat described the appointment of Mofaz as defense minister as “declaration of war.”

“We have Mofaz on the right, (present chief of staff Moshe) Ya’alon on the left and Sharon right on the top, this is a government of war,” said Arafat during a televised interview Thursday.

All of the three are considered strong advocates of Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Observers in Palestine opine the expected Israeli government will be the most extremist and rightist in the Zionist regime’s history.

The broad-based Israeli coalition government collapsed Wednesday after the Labor Party headed by Benyamin Ben Eliezer refused to vote in favor of the Israeli budget for the year 2003.

Following the resignation of Labor ministers from the government, Sharon said he would form a narrow-based coalition government with far-right and religious parties, some of which adopt fascist and Nazi-like views toward non-Jews in Palestine.