The Shas leader leaves Interior and Health, but the party remains in the government structure. And the prime minister secures an upcoming “public” post for the ultra-Orthodox leader. He will also continue to participate in Executive meetings and retains the (honorary) title of Deputy Minister. Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Tel Aviv.
Jerusalem () – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has removed from his post Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who for a few weeks was one of the main executive ministers and is a key ally of the coalition in the can. The decision follows the sentence handed down in recent days by the Supreme Court, which declared the radical exponent unfit for office due to a double sentence – the second was last year – for fraud and corruption.
When announcing the decision, which will take effect tomorrow, Netanyahu himself assured, however, that he intended to use “all legal means” to keep him in the government structure. The aim is to secure him “public office” of importance in the near future. Deri accepted the decision, but stated that he has no intention of retiring from public life and will retain the leadership of the party in Parliament. In addition, he may continue to benefit from the title of “vice minister” (only honorary and without effective functions) and should participate as an “observer” in Executive meetings.
In reality, the votes of his party are essential to guarantee a margin of security in the Knesset and to carry out a series of reforms, first of all the controversial reform of Justice, a source of institutional tensions and the protests in the streets that multiplied the last weekend. In a note released on the sidelines of the executive meeting that took place yesterday, Netanyahu would have described the sentence against the now former Minister of the Interior and Health as “deplorable”, because it does not correspond to the will of “the electorate”.
A close associate of Deri’s, Barak Seri, told Israeli army radio that the ministerial portfolio will remain the prerogative of the Shas party, which will indicate a name in the coming days. After the verdict, the Shas leadership had threatened to withdraw from the coalition if its leader was ousted, but today they seem to have backtracked and have accepted the proposal to choose a replacement.
Meanwhile, the Hayom newspaper published an opinion poll showing that 35% of voters support Netanyahu’s decision to change the appointment of judges – one of the most controversial points of the reform – while a considerable 45% declares against. At the same time, only 26% are in favor of Parliament, with a majority vote, overturning the Supreme Court rulings.
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people returned to the streets of Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the justice reform plan proposed by the government and Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption. At least 40,000 people gathered in the Kaplan Street area, one of the main arteries of the economic and commercial capital of the country. Another 10,000 met in Piazza Habima, all with a single objective: to oppose a reform project that would limit the autonomy of the Judiciary, in the first place of the Supreme Court, binding judges -and their appointment- to the dictates of the Executive .
