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Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Former Shas ministries transferred to Likud lawmakers already holding justice, tourism portfolios
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The government approves by telephone vote the temporary redistribution of ministerial portfolios previously held by Shas lawmakers, after the ultra-Orthodox party quit the government earlier this month over its failure to codify the Haredi community’s exemption from military service, according to Hebrew media reports.
Under the arrangement, Justice Minister Yariv Levin will take over the Interior, Religious Services and Labor ministries in an acting capacity. Tourism Minister Haim Katz, who already serves as interim Housing Minister, will also serve as acting Minister of Welfare and Health.
The decision was opposed by Ministers Gideon Sa’ar, Ze’ev Elkin, and Gila Gamliel, who voted against the appointments, reportedly warning that piling too many responsibilities onto ministers who already head major ministries risks weakening their ability to govern effectively.
The decision to not hand the portfolios to ministers not already in the cabinet is likely a sign that Netanyahu is holding out hope that Shas will return to the government, smoothing the way for the ministries to revert to their former ministers.
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