Peretz asks to merge with Likud to fix flub that could keep him from cabinet

Minister Rafi Peretz has reportedly asked to be merged into the Likud party, a day after Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s sister publication, published information showing that Peretz had botched his split from the Yamina party and might be serving as a minister illegally.

According to reports, Peretz has asked the Knesset to approve his Jewish Home faction, renamed as Jewish Home Founded by Mafdal to avoid campaign finance issues, splitting off from Yamina and becoming part of Likud, in a technical procedure intended to allow him to keep his post as Jerusalem Affairs minister.

Peretz split from Yamina to join the government earlier this year, but did so as a lone MK and not as a faction, which legal experts said made him ineligible to join the government or run as part of an existing party in upcoming elections.

— Noam Eynav