Exterior minister Exterior minister

Aryeh Deri ‘gets locked out of cabinet meeting’

Shas party leader reportedly leaves building after finding door bolted; environment minister also kept out

By ToI Staff 6 March 2016, 9:09 pm

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Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (R) arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem for the weekly cabinet meeting, March 6, 2016. (Marc Israel Sellem/Pool)

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri was reportedly locked out of Sunday’s cabinet meeting, and subsequently left the building after failing to get in.

According to the ultra-Orthodox Kikar HaShabbat website, Deri had arrived on time for the weekly meeting. However, when the meeting was delayed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s late arrival, he apparently left the room and sat in an adjacent office.

Upon returning to the hall where the meeting was taking place, Deri found the door had been bolted by security. After waiting for a minute, the interior minister left the Prime Minister’s Office altogether.

“Deri didn’t come late; he arrived at the meeting, entered a side room, and when he (tried to go back) found the the cabinet hall door locked and therefore left,” a source close to Deri was quoted as saying.

Also locked out of the meeting was Environment Minister Avi Gabbay.

Sunday’s cabinet meeting had only two items on the agenda: Israel’s participation in the Financial Action Task Force as an observer state, and a discussion of a pension fund bill.