Shas backs coalition whip Zohar amid criticism from fellow Likud MKs

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party expresses support for coalition whip Miki Zohar, who is facing growing criticism from fellow members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud.

“Members of the Shas faction back coalition chairman and Likud faction leader Miki Zohar, who is doing important work in the Knesset to stabilize the coalition and for the general public,” Shas says in a statement. “We work in coordination and harmony and will continue to act together to advance laws that are important to the entire Israeli public.”

After Zohar announced disciplinary measures against a number of Likud lawmakers yesterday for allegedly breaking coalition discipline, a number of party members public criticized him and reportedly gathered signatures to oust him as faction leader and coalition whip, an effort Netanyahu put the kibosh on. Zohar, a vocal supporter of the premier, has also recently squabbled with a number of Likud lawmakers.

Likud MK Miki Zohar at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 13, 2020. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)