The Shas and National Religious Party have resolved their ongoing dispute over how the two Orthodox parties would share control of Israel’s Religious Affairs Ministry.
After weeks of negotiations over who would go first and for how long — talks that were marked by threats from each party to withdraw from the governing coalition — Shas and the NRP agreed Monday to rotate control of the portfolio on an annual basis.
Under the arrangement, Interior Minister Eli Suissa of Shas will serve as religious affairs minister first, followed next year by Education Minister Zevulun Hammer of the NRP.
Two deputy religious affairs ministers — Aryeh Gamliel of Shas and the NRP’s Yigal Bibi — will be appointed to serve for the government’s entire four-year term.
The long and tortuous negotiations had included one compromise that was apparently suggested out of exasperation — using chance to determine who would serve first as head of the ministry.
Under that arrangement, which was ultimately dismissed, a page of the Bible was to be selected at random. The initial letter of the contending parties’ names that was found first on the page would indicate the winner.
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