Shas MK resumes chairmanship of Knesset health committee

By Ariela Karmel

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23 February 2026, 1:36 pm

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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.

The Knesset Health Committee votes to approve the appointment of Shas MK Yoni Meshriki as chair, replacing Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har Melech, signalling a thawing of tensions since the ultra-Orthodox party withdrew from the government in July over increased enforcement of sanctions against draft dodgers as well as the lack of a draft law.

A spokesperson for Son Har Melech tells The Times of Israel that this move was “expected” and that it was always understood that she was a “placeholder until a deal with Shas was achieved.”

A statement from Shas last night announcing that Meshriki would be resuming his role emphasized that the party is “entitled to chair a Knesset committee even when it is not part of the coalition, as is customary for an opposition faction of Shas’s size.”

In October, Shas officially withdrew from all coalition roles it held in the Knesset, including chairing the health committee, then led by Meshriki, over the coalition’s failure to pass legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students. The post was left vacant for two months until Son Har Melech took over in December.

Despite this, and despite the party’s statement, Shas is, in fact, still a member of the coalition, but not the government, unlike fellow ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism, which exited both the government and coalition last summer.

Amid the government’s push to pass a draft bill whose success is tied to the crucial passing of the state budget, efforts have been made to improve ties with the party in order to secure their votes.

Meshriki’s return to leading the health committee signals a warming of ties between the ultra-Orthodox party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. A draft exemption law has yet to be passed, but its current draft is supported by Shas, as well as by UTJ’s Degel Hatorah faction.