The coalition agreement being worked out between United Torah Judaism and the Likud will include a clause stipulating that changes made to the status quo on religion and state during the course of the government, such as court decisions, can be changed in legislation by the coalition.
The agreement also gives three ministerial positions to Shas, one to UTJ as well as chairmanship of the powerful Knesset Finance Committee and two other Knesset committees.
The clause is significant since the courts ruled on several occasions during the last government on such issues such as access to mikvas and kashrut, leading to legislation by the ultra-Orthodox parties to circumvent these rulings, at least one of which was successfully passed.
During the three election campaigns, Blue and White made numerous promises on reforming the religion and state status quo but its agreement with the Likud makes no mention of such issues.
One issue which may shortly come up in the new government is the new Shabbat public transportation systems which Tel Aviv and other cities in the central district have been operating in recent months through loopholes in the law.
UTJ and Shas could seek to close these loopholes in the new government under the cover of the clause allowing to amend “damage” to the status quo.
UTJ’s agreement will see outgoing Health Minister Yaakov Litzman become Housing and Construction Minister, while senior UTJ MK Moshe Gafni will regain his position as head of the Knesset Finance Committee which has considerable powers to direct or halt the flow of state funding.
UTJ will also have a deputy minister position which could be either in the education or transportations ministries and could be taken by MK Meir Porush, the current deputy education minister or MK Uri Maklev.
UTJ will also get the chairmanship of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for the first 15 months of the new government, and the Knesset and the Knesset Public Petitions Committee, as well as a member on the Committee for the Selection of Rabbinical Court Judges and a deputy speaker position
Shas will receive three full ministries, including interior minister which Shas chairman and current interior minister will take, the Ministry for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, and Religious Services Minister, which could be taken by current deputy-finance minister MK Yitzhak Cohen.
Shas will also get deputy ministers in the Finance and Labor and Welfare ministries, while the religious services minister will become the chairman of the Committee for the Selection of Rabbinical Court Judges.
The rabbinical court judges committee is often the scene of intense horse-trading and political deals, with the ultra-Orthodox members who usually control the committee able to veto moderate candidates.
The chairmanship of the committee over the last five years was held by Likud minister Yuval Steinitz to provide greater balance in the control of the panel and the selection of the rabbinical judges, but with control of the chairmanship now in a Shas ministers’ hands the ultra-Orthodox parties will likely have free reign over appointments.
Before the Yamina party ruled out joining the coalition, senior religious-Zionist leader Rabbi Haim Druckman demanded from the Likud that the chairmanship of the committee remain with a Likud minister but he was refused.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deri spoke with Drukman and, according to the prime minister’s spokesman, assured the rabbi that “representation” of the religious-Zionist community on the committee “would not be harmed.”