All members of the governing coalition in Israel have signed a draft amendment to the Basic Law that would allow the reinstatement of Shas leader Aryeh Deri, disqualified by the Supreme Court, as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Health.
Shas sources quoted by the Israeli newspaper ‘The Jerusalem Post’ have indicated that the project was presented by the ultra-Orthodox party, although during the last hours it has obtained the signatures of all the members of the coalition, led by Likud and integrated by ultra-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Thus, the coalition hopes that this show of consensus within the Government will prevent the Supreme Court from blocking the bill in case it is finally approved in Parliament, where the Government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu has an absolute majority.
Netanyahu was forced to dismiss Deri after the Supreme Court ruled that he was ineligible to hold the post because he was convicted of fraud, after parliamentarians from Shas and other coalition parties called for the court’s decision to be ignored.
Likud and Shas agreed to Deri’s appointment as one of the conditions for the prime minister to have the crucial support of this party, including a commitment to amend existing legislation to remove potential obstacles. The amendment, known as the ‘Deri Law’, was passed to amend the Basic Law, which prevented those with suspended sentences from holding ministerial positions.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
