Cabinet votes to appoint Justice Minister Yariv Levin to head labor, religious services, and Jerusalem ministries

The cabinet approves Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s appointment to head several ministries vacated after the ultra-Orthodox parties withdrew from the coalition this summer.

In addition to Levin taking over the Labor, Religious Services and Jerusalem portfolios, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is temporarily given a number of powers usually assigned to the interior minister. Netanyahu cannot take over the ministry himself because, by law, a minister cannot serve while under indictment.

The appointments will require ratification by the Knesset.

Levin will remain in charge of these additional ministries “until Shas returns to the government,” a spokesman for the minister tells The Times of Israel.

In July, the government voted to appoint Levin to take over the interior, religious affairs and labor ministries in an acting capacity following Shas’s exit from the government. The welfare and health ministries were transferred to Tourism Minister Haim Katz (Likud), who was already serving as interim housing minister after United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf resigned from the post prior to leaving the government.

These acting appointments ended after three months, leaving multiple ministries without ministers, although Katz was appointed as permanent housing minister in September.

According to several reports, the ultra-Orthodox parties have indicated that they will support Levin’s appointment to head up the ministries due to the progress being made in passing a bill that would regulate Haredi draft, largely exempting yeshiva students from military conscription.