Israeli politician jailed for bribery slated for top ministry spot

Aryeh Deri being considered for finance ministry as Netanyahu tries to avoid giving role to Religious Zionism chief Bezalel Smotrich

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listens to Aryeh Deri during a meeting with his nationalist allies and Likud party members at the Knesset in March 2020. AP

Concern is growing over the cabinet choices of former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his election victory last week.

Ultra far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir is almost certain to claim a top ministerial role.

Israeli media is reporting that Aryeh Deri, who held the post of interior minister three times and was previously jailed for bribery, is expected to head either the finance ministry or the interior ministry.

Mr Deri leads the ultra-orthodox Shas party, the third-largest in Mr Netanyahu's right-wing bloc which was catapulted to power last week in a surprise comeback for the former leader, who has been embroiled in a corruption trial.

Mr Deri could be given the finance ministry, amid claims Mr Netanyahu wants to avoid giving the role to Religious Zionism chief Bezalel Smotrich, Ynet and Channel 12 have reported.

While Mr Netanyahu has yet to be formally asked to assemble a government, talks have begun to assign ministerial positions among Likud and its right-wing, religious allies.

Mr Netanyahu has offered Mr Deri his pick of ministerial positions, Channel 12 reported. Mr Deri is said to be asking for his former position of interior minister.

Former Israeli prime minister and leader of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara greet supporters in Jerusalem as Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday. EPA

Mr Netanyahu greets supporters after the end of voting for the national elections. AFP

Prime Minister Yair Lapid addresses supporters at his campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv. EPA

The prime minister's wife Lihi Lapid, centre, cheers her husband. AFP

The leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) far-right party Itamar Ben Gvir at his party's campaign headquarters in Jerusalem. AFP

Otzma Yehudit party members in upbeat mood. AFP

A Likud party supporter responds to favourable exit polls. Getty

Supporters of Mr Netanyahu react as early exit polls suggest a comeback for the former leader. EPA

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israeli selects his ballot paper on the day of Israel's general election at a polling station in Jerusalem. Reuters

Mr Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem in the country's fifth election in less than four years. AFP

A man kisses his dog after casting his ballot in Tel Aviv during the Israeli elections. AP

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid smiles as he casts his vote at a polling station in Israel's coastal city of Tel Aviv. Mr Lapid urged the electorate to cast their ballot after voting in an election that might lead to veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu making a comeback alongside far-right allies. Reuters

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, right, head of the new centre-right National Unity Party, and his wife Revital Gantz vote at a polling station in the city of Rosh Haayin in central Israel. AFP

Ultra-Orthodox Jews watch their Rabbi Israel Hager vote during Israeli elections in Bnei Brak. AP

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man votes in Israel's parliamentary election at a polling station in Bnei Brak. AP

An Israeli man walks with a little girl towards the ballot box to cast his vote. AP

A little girl helps her mother cast her ballot on the day of Israel's general election at a polling station in Taibe, northern Israel. Reuters

Israelis queue to cast their ballots on the day of Israel's general election at a polling station in Tel Aviv. Reuters

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis wait to cast their ballots at a polling station in Jerusalem. Reuters

An Israeli man casts his ballot at a drive-through polling station for people quarantined as a result of Covid-19 in Jerusalem. Reuters

The Shas chief spent two years in prison in 2000 for taking bribes during his stint as Israel's youngest ever interior minister in the 1980s. He resigned from the Knesset in January as part of a plea deal in which he was handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 180,000 shekels for tax offences.

He was initially suspected of bribery but was finally charged with failure to report his income and other tax offences when selling Jerusalem apartments to his brother Shlomo.

In June, Shlomo was given nine months community service for multiple tax evasion charges, one of which included aiding Mr Deri by claiming income from a US investment fund as his own.

Mr Deri has held several government positions, including minister for development of the Negev and the Galilee.

He is not the only potential minister with a murky past.

Mr Ben-Gvir, widely slated to be the next minister of public security, has come under closer scrutiny in recent weeks for incendiary comments about Israel's large Arab minority.

He was convicted in 2007 of racist incitement and support for a group on both the Israeli and US terrorism blacklists.

He is also known for his support of Baruch Goldstein, who committed the 1994 Hebron mosque massacre, and his calls for Arabs to be deported from Israel.

The US is reportedly considering a “no-contact” policy with the Otzma Yehudit leader, and Jordan has allegedly warned ties will weaken if any change is made to the status of Al Aqsa Mosque, where Mr Ben-Gvir regularly visits.

“Bibi [Netanyahu] does not want Ben-Gvir and Deri to lead the dance,” Shlomo Fischer of the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Institute told AFP.

“He is very careful. He does not want to lose his international legitimacy … I think he could try to widen his coalition to minimise their influence.”