Deri back in Interior Ministry after 22 years
The Shas chairperson was forced to resign as interior minister in the 1990s, when he was embroiled in a corruption scandal; he is replacing Silvan Shalom, who resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment.
Over two decares after being forced to resign from the position following a corruption indictment filed against him (which eventually led to his conviction, and imprisonment for a 22-month period), Aryeh Deri once again became Israel's Minister of the Interior on Sunday.
The government approved the appointment unanimously. The Shas chairperson, who has already served in this government as Minister of the Economy and Minister of the Development of the Negev, Galilee and Periphery, is taking the place of former minister Silvan Shalom, who left politics after several women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment.
Deri resigned from his Minister of the Economy position several months ago, due to his refusal to sign a crucial document that would allow the governments natural gas plan to go forward. Since then, Shas had remained a member of the coalition government, but without Deri holding a senior government position.
Yesh Atid party Chairperson MK Yair Lapid criticized Deri's appointment, writing in response, "On May 11 I presented the Knesset with the 'disgrace bill'. The suggestion is simple: A person who has been convicted of a disgraceful offense could not serve as a minister, a Knesset member, or a mayor. This isn't an anti Aryeh Deri bill, it's a bill opposing corruption in Israel. The coalition rejected it. We'll present it again and again until it passes."
He continued, "It's unacceptable that people who have been convicted of crimes would sent soldiers to battle or demand our tax money. It's unacceptable that we would stand aside while the public's trust of politicians and the state tumbles downward. Trust is the basis of any functional human society, and when the citizenry thinks that the system is crooked, it's tough to tell them why they should stick to the straight path."
