Interior Minister Gideon Saar (Likud) is considering splitting the city of Beit Shemesh in two, Channel 10 News reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, longtime residents of the city have asked Saar to consider the split in the wake of a hareidi-religious candidate having won the mayoral race on Tuesday.
The initiative calls for the city to be divided into two parts: Old Beit Shemesh and New Beit Shemesh, which will include the city’s hareidi neighborhoods. The plan was presented to former Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who rejected it for financial reasons.