Shas lawmakers warn government will fall if Deri disqualified

Shas MKS rallied around their leader Aryeh Deri who faces a High Court ruling on petitions to bar him as cabinet minister in view of his past criminal record. They threaten to bring down the government, if he is disqualified. Appointed minister of interior and health last month, High Court judges are testing the “reasonableness” of his cabinet membership in view of his criminal convictions on corruption and tax evasion charges. In the most recent, the custodial sentence against Deri was suspended under a plea bargain when he pleaded guilty and pledged to quit politics.