Shas seeking to maintain de facto control of ministries it gave up over Haredi conscription issue — report

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, whose ministers resigned from the government last week over the Haredi conscription issue, is said to be attempting to maintain de facto control over the ministries it headed until now.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, the party is opposed to Tourism Minister Haim Katz (Likud) taking over its ministerial portfolios, as it fears he will oust Shas bureaucrats.

Katz has already been appointed acting housing minister following the resignation of Yitzhak Goldknopf of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party.

In the past, he was also given the portfolios of Otzma Yehudit ministers who resigned temporarily in protest of a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza back in January.

The outlet cites coalition sources as saying that the Shas ministers’ resignations are a sham and that in practice, “everything will stay the same” in the party’s former ministries as they are staffed by Shas-appointed advisers and directors general.

Shas held the interior, social welfare, religious services, health, and labor portfolios, as well as the deputy ministerial position in the Agriculture Ministry.

According to Kan, Shas’s portfolios are expected to be transferred to a minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

In addition to Katz, the ministers being considered to take on those portfolios are Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Kan says.

The Walla news site reported yesterday that Shas chair Aryeh Deri would prefer that the party’s portfolios be handed off to Levin.

“It will be very easy to work with him,” unnamed Shas sources told Walla. “If he promises something, he delivers on it. If the portfolios are with him, [we] can sleep peacefully.”

Meanwhile,  Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Minister Meir Porush (UTJ) was said to be aiming for his portfolio to go to Karhi.

Hebrew media reports that Netanyahu is yet to reach a decision on the matter and has fielded many requests from Likud members seeking to take over the posts.

Some of the positions could also end up with the premier’s remaining coalition partners. Hebrew media reports last week indicated that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party was demanding control of the housing and interior ministries, while Religious Zionism chair and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has demanded that his party appoint the new head of the Knesset Finance Committee.

Likud whip Ofir Katz took over the committee on Wednesday evening, following the resignation of United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni from the position on Monday in the wake of his party’s exit from the coalition.

Sam Sokol contributed to this report.