Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced on Tuesday its pick to replace Interior and Health Minister Aryeh Deri, who was fired from his position on Sunday. The Supreme Court had ruled last week that having been convicted of fraud, Deri is disqualified to serve as minister. The ruling left Netanyahu no choice but to sack his top ally.
Religious Affairs Minister Michael Malchieli will temporarily take over the position of interior minister and Yoav Ben-Tzur, currently a minister in the Welfare Ministry, will serve as health minister. The Shas leadership decided that Malchieli and Ben-Tzur will serve as replacements for three months in the hope that in that time, a legal solution will be found to reinstate Deri.
The Supreme Court ruling and Netanyahu’s subsequent move have deepened the rift among Israeli politicians over the legal reforms the Netanyahu government is pushing. Still the ruling, perceived as persecution of the right, seems to be reinforcing the links between the coalition partners.
On Monday, Deri received an extraordinary show of support from all the heads of the coalition parties, Netanyahu chief among them. They all showed up at the Shas faction weekly meeting at the Knesset to heap compliments on Deri and pledge to stand by his side against what they consider injustice.
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