Jeruaslem ? 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, mired for weeks in political infighting and charges of racism, 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 told AP Television News that his goals as a Cabinet minister would be “promoting coexistence between the two peoples inside the state, and promoting dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis toward negotiations and political agreement.”

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. He has predicted that in the future, every Israeli government will be obliged to include an Arab minister.

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.