It was close to midnight on Monday night, and a deal was agreed to and a coalition agreement was signed between Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon and the Bayit Yehuda/Ichud Leumi party. The local party leader, Chagit Moshe, will serve as a deputy mayor during the first half of the five-year term, as well as being in charge of the Education Portfolio and the Kehillos & Young Families portfolio. Ichud Leumi Councilman, Yehuda Freudiger will be in charge of the Special Needs portfolio along with the Senior Citizens and Youth Movements portfolios for the first half of the five-year term respectively.

Hisorarus has yet to enter the coalition and it may ultimately remain in opposition, with party leader Ofir Berkowitz telling faction members it appears a chareidi partner in the coalition is opposing the entry of the Hisorarus party.

The first coalition partner to sign on with Leon was Likud, headed by attorney Elisha Peleg. That agreement led to a unity deal by which Leon’s Yerushalayim Shelanu party will merge with Likud to become the Yerushalayim Shelanu-Likud party during the five-year term. Peleg will also serve as a deputy mayor during the first half of the term as well as Likud being in charge of the Sports & Emergency and Security portfolios.

It is pointed out that Leon’s Yerushalayim Shelanu party did not meet the minimum threshold to enter the city council, and now, after the agreement, the Likud faction in the city council is headed by Leon during this five-year term.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)