Begin, Rabin won't appear on banknotes

Following Begin family's objection, Bank of Israel decides not to include former prime ministers – or any other politicians – in new series of bills slated to be issued in 2012

Ynet |Published: 03.11.11 , 12:42

The Bank of Israel has decided that the faces of former Prime Ministers Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin will not appear on new banknotes slated to be issued in 2012.

Channel 2 TV reported Wednesday that Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer and the public committee appointed to decide on the new banknotes' appearance agreed that the series would not include any politicians.

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According to the report, the new series of banknotes will feature the faces of poets Shaul Tchernichovsky, Nathan Alterman, Leah Goldberg and Rachel.

In late 2010, the Bank of Israel announced that the new series of banknotes will have the faces of the two former prime ministers and Rachel the poetess, alongside writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon, who already appears on NIS 50 bills. Begin's family, however, strongly objected to having his image on a banknote.

It appears the Bank of Israel has decided to remove Rabin's image as well, so as not to create a situation of over-representation of a certain political camp (as Rabin represents the Left and Begin represents the Right).

The central bank has also decided that the new banknotes will only feature writers and poets, with equal representation for men and women.

Fischer will ask the government to approve the suggested banknotes in the coming days. The new series is expected to take effect as early as next year in bills worth NIS 20, 50, 100 and 200.

The new banknotes will include security and identification marks to make it difficult to forge them.