Shaul Mofaz will officially be declared new opposition leader in a mid-recess Knesset meeting next Monday.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin´s office announced on Thursday that 25 MKs signed a letter requesting a plenum meeting. Kadima plans to officially declare Mofaz as leader during the meeting.

As leader of the largest opposition party, Mofaz is the automatic choice for opposition leader, unless all of the other opposition parties agree on an alternative candidate.

As new opposition leader, Shaul Mofaz will be getting quite a few perks, to which outgoing Kadima leader Tzipi Livni will have to say good-bye.

Mofaz will have monthly meetings with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on diplomatic and security matters, give speeches in the plenum immediately after Netanyahu, and participate in government ceremonies with the prime minister.

The new opposition leader´s salary will be raised to that of a government minister. He will also receive a car with a driver, a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) bodyguard, a larger office in the Knesset with a conference room, a senior advisor and more assistants.

It is not against Knesset regulations for Mofaz to continue to serve as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and he has yet to announce whether he intends to leave the post or not.

Sources in Kadima have given mixed answers as to what Mofaz plans to do, with some saying the job will go to MK Avi Dichter (Kadima), in appreciation for his leaving the party leadership race and supporting Mofaz. Others say Kadima´s new leader will prefer to stay committee chairman, and use the platform to attack Netanyahu on defense issues. (© 1995-2011, The Jerusalem Post 03/29/12)