Following the decision of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to ask for the Finance Ministry portfolio as a condition for entering the next government, sources within Religious Zionism are insisting that their leader, MK Bezalel Smotrich, must be granted the position of Defense Minister.
"Religious Zionism will demand the Defense, Education, and Religious Affairs portfolios, as well as detailed coalition agreements including budget summaries," they said.
"Our intent is to restore a sense of personal security to Israeli citizens," they added. "We want to fix the legal system, regulate the settlements of Judea and Samaria in law, and the strengthen the Jewish identity of the state."