Shas Party leader Arye Deri announced on Wednesday that he does not intend to return to the government.
"We have five very talented ministers in Shas, I used my time to strengthen the movement," he said. "Personally, today I have no interest in returning to the government table or the cabinet."
In addition, Deri said that he does not intend to promote the "Deri Law 2," which would restrict the High Court of Justice’s judicial intervention with appointments of ministers.
Deri also said that the protest against the judicial reform stopped the pace of the legislation: "Obviously, the protest gave us a different perspective," according to him, "The easiest thing to say is 'I have a majority and I vote' - but those who have responsibility must look at the whole picture, what is happening here, in the world, in the army and understand where the source of all these fears comes from."
The Shas leader also said that "The reform, the government's composition, and the statements by all kinds of people who led it put a lot of people in fear, and it created enough trauma where there's deliberate thought to make a new regime here.
"It's no secret in the last month that we see that there is no outstretched hand in the opposition that is ready to make a decision. We are thinking of an idea to make a unilateral move, especially the things that we were willing to consider as part of negotiations with the opposition," he continued.
The notice of dismissal
Last January, Netanyahu dismissed Deri from his positions in the government, following the High Court's ruling that disqualified his appointment a week earlier. The Prime Minister stated: "Following the order of the ruling - I am forced with a heavy heart, with great sorrow, to remove you from your position in the government."I decided to appoint you as Deputy Prime Minister and the Health and Interior Minister due to the fact that I see you as an anchor of experience, intelligence, and responsibility that are important to the State of Israel at all times, and especially at this time," Netanyahu continued. "I thought it was important that you serve the State of Israel as a member of the security-political cabinet, where you can influence your many years of experience. Unfortunately, the court made an unfortunate decision that ignores the will of the people." Netanyahu added that "he intends to look for any legal way in which you can continue to contribute to the state."Deri replied to Netanyahu: "I hear in your voice the sadness about the court's decision and its consequences. It was clear to both of us that we would uphold the court's decision, there was no doubt about it at any stage, unlike those who flaunt the feathers of the 'quality' of the rule of law and call for disturbances and violations of the Knesset's decisions and the government."