MK Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas) will be appointed Minister of Religious Services until the elections in April.
Vaknin met on Monday with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and expressed his desire to end his term as a Knesset member. Vaknin stressed that he would remain a "loyal soldier" of the Shas movement and would be willing to assist in any position he would be assigned outside the Knesset.
During the meeting, Deri asked Vaknin whether he would agree to serve as Minister of Religious Services until the next elections.
Vaknin agreed, and Deri held a telephone conversation with members of the Shas Council of Torah Sages who approved the appointment. As such, Vaknin’s appointment will be brought on Tuesday for approval by the government and the Knesset.
"MK Yitzhak Vaknin is one of the veteran figures in the Shas movement and has been active in it for 22 years. He has performed all his duties faithfully and conscientiously while sanctifying the name of God, and there is no doubt that he will fulfill his role as Minister of Religious Services in the best way possible," Deri said.