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Dov Weissglass to be Bezeq Chairman Weissglas will replace Moshe Arkin, who served in the post since Ap-Sab-Ar Holdings acquired Bezeq in October 2005. . . . Adv. Dov Weissglas, the former Prime Minister's Bureau director under Ariel Sharon, will be appointed chairman of Bezeq Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ). Weissglas will replace Moshe (Mori) Arkin, who served in the post since Ap-Sab-Ar Holdings Ltd. (the Apax Partners-Saban Capital Group Inc.-Arkin consortium) acquired control of Bezeq from the state in October 2005. It was clear from the start that Arkin's appointment was temporary, and that he was serving as chairman as the default option until Bezeq's new owners could agree on a candidate acceptable to all of them. Weissglas was considered very close to Sharon and Reuven Adler, owner of the Adler, Chomsky & Warshavsky Advertising-Grey ad agency, which has the Bezeq account. Weissglas also has good ties with former Apax chairman Sir Ronald Cohen. In 2002, Weissglas was a member of the government team that included then-Minister of Communications Reuven Rivlin, the Ministry of Justice and the Government Companies Authority, which was trying to move the privatization of Bezeq forward. That round of talks failed. Saban partnered with Shamrock Holdings in that attempt to acquire Bezeq. Bezeq's shareholders struggled to find a mutually acceptable chairman for the company, and it is no wonder that they ultimately picked an attorney who will know how to maneuver between two strong groups like Apax and Saban Capital Group, whose interests do not always coincide. Weissglas is also one of the best openers of doors in government corridors, which will be essential to Bezeq, whose activities are heavily regulated.
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