When Minister Aryeh Deri relinquished the Ministry of Economy last October and was appointed Minister of the Interior, he demanded that the Ministry of the Negev and Galilee also be given responsibility for the 'social periphery'.
In a government decision sent to ministers last Thursday, it became clear that Deri would receive under his authority all the settlements in the lowest deciles: 1-4 according to the CBS ranking, as well as certain neighborhoods and streets in major cities.
According to a report by Ilael Shahar on Galei Tzahal, the appendix to the decision-makers' proposal states that Deri will be responsible, among other things, for Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, Elad, Emanuel and Kiryat Yearim - ultra-Orthodox communities where quite a few Shas voters live.
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Also on the list: the Bukharim and Ir Ganim neighborhoods in Jerusalem, the Argazim and Kfar Shalem neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, Or Akiva, Kiryat Malachi, and more. Quite a few Arab settlements also appear on the new list.
According to the report, not all ministers liked this development: Minister of Construction and Housing, Yoav Galant, revealed that Deri also intends to take over construction powers in the new settlements that were added to his ministry, and he is firmly opposed to this.
Meanwhile, the discussion on the matter has been postponed for a week, as Minister Deri was absent from the meeting due to a memorial service for his late father. In the meantime, talks are underway between the Ministry of Construction and Deri's office to reach agreements on the matter.
