The Likud has shifted straight from the political battle over whether to advance its primaries to a new clash over the vacancies in the cabinet created by the resignations of Binyamin Netanyahu and Natan Sharansky.

Sharon's associates have said that when the Knesset returns to session on October 31, the prime minister will ask the MKs to approve the appointments of Likud MKs Ze'ev Boim and Roni Bar-On. Sharon will name the lucky one as minister of industry, trade and labor, and the other as immigrant absorption minister.

The winner will control a ministry budget of more than NIS 3.5 billion, hobnob among the nation's tycoons and travel around the world to sign trade agreements. The loser will inherit a paltry NIS 1.34b. budget, spend his time with new immigrants and will be lucky to be invited to Ben-Gurion Airport to greet the latest planeload of starry-eyed American immigrants brought by Nefesh B'Nefesh.

It is no wonder that both Boim and Bar-On are campaigning aggressively to not be appointed absorption minister. Bar-On was even offended by a reporter's question suggesting that he could receive the portfolio.

Tourism Minister Avraham Herschson was also offered the Absorption portfolio, but he chose the tourists over the people who are here to stay. The most Zionist ministry in the cabinet has become a pariah portfolio.

Tzipi Livni has limited her presence in the Absorption Ministry since she received the coveted Justice portfolio in December. After a full day in the Justice Ministry, she comes to the Absorption Ministry a few nights a week to put in some time.

Perhaps the only politician who has made helping immigrants her top priority is Deputy Immigrant Absorption Minister Marina Solodkin, a woman who is respected by Russian immigrants as their top advocate but for most other Israelis remains in the shadow of her former political patron, Sharansky. Sharon appointed her on March 31 to return to the post that she held in 1999 when Ehud Barak was prime minister.

Solodkin says she understands the reasons of Boim and Bar-On, she is friends with both and she can work well under either of them. She has no designs on heading the ministry when she knows she has to be thankful to Sharansky, who resigned to get her into the Knesset, and Sharon for promoting her despite her lack of support inside the Likud.

"I think Israelis don't understand the ministry's importance, but for immigrants, it comes after only Defense and Education," Solodkin said. "Running the ministry well can give a party votes and mishandling it can take votes away. That's why the Absorption portfolio is so important and that's why Sharon appointed me. He knew that after Netanyahu did his damage, he had to fix the situation."

Solodkin says Netanyahu lost immigrant votes for the Likud when he decided to start taxing overseas income, take away mortgage grants and remove benefits from single mothers regardless of whether they work. She voted against the state budget in 2003 and 2004 to protest the moves.

This is cache, read story here