Likud: Deri central to government, court ruling an ‘injustice’ to him and to voters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party releases a statement saying it views minister Aryeh Deri, who was disqualified by the High Court today, as a “central and significant” part of the government and pledging to return him to office.

Written in the name of all coalition party leaders, the Likud-released statement argues that the court disqualification is an “injustice” both to Deri and to some 2 million voters who returned the coalition to power in November.

“His extraordinary abilities and vast experience are needed by the State of Israel in these complex days more than ever,” the statement continues.

Deri is a key Netanyahu ally in the prime minister’s right-wing, far-right, and ultra-Orthodox government, and Netanyahu’s coalition pushed through legislation in December to ease Deri’s appointment despite the legal complication of his recent tax fraud conviction.