Israel’s parliament has given preliminary approval to a contentious law change that would allow people who have been convicted of crimes but spared jail time to become ministers.
The vote in the Knesset on Tuesday night is part of a broader legislative blitz designed to make good on a series of promises made by prime-minister-in waiting Benjamin Netanyahu to his religious and far-right coalition partners, and enable the formation of a new government by a December 21 deadline.
The move, which must be confirmed by three further votes, paves the way for Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party and a key Netanyahu ally, to take on the interior and health portfolios in the new government, despite being convicted of tax fraud earlier this year.