From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Shas interior minister Arbel set to submit resignation
Ariela 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.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party is expected to submit his resignation from the government today, following his party’s decision last week to quit over the failure to pass a law exempting Haredi yeshiva students from military service.
Last week, Arbel, along with other Shas ministers, Social Affairs Minister Yaakov Margi and Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli, submitted resignation letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Arbel retracted his resignation temporarily to allow for the appointment of Shas ally Israel Uzan to replace Interior Ministry Director General Ronen Peretz, who also submitted a request to resign from his position today.
Arbel’s move is seen as an effort to secure Shas’s influence over the ministry during the coalition crisis. However, Arbel has indicated it was so he could hold a meeting today regarding a development plan for the city of Nazareth.
Shas is not joining the opposition, but the party has said its members will be resigning all their positions in the government.
Arbel is widely seen as one of the more effective ministers in the government.
The Times of Israel Community.