The announced retirement of Minister of the Interior Silvan Shalom will leave a vacancy when his resignation takes effect in the coming days. The battle to fill that powerful post is underway.

Minister of Sport Miri Regev, who ranks high in Likud, views herself as the natural candidate to fill the void. Walla News quotes “sources” saying that her appointment to the slot is an expected move for she was in the party’s fifth slot in the party primary race. She is also widely accepted by mayors as she has proven in her post as chairperson of the Knesset Interior Committee.

Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara also views himself as suited for the cabinet post. His loyalists explain Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised to appoint him minister when there is a vacancy. This however does not appear to be a likely scenario since when Danny Danon vacated his ministerial post to become Ambassador to Argentina, Kara was not tapped to fill the void.

While Minister of Tourism Yariv Levine is not likely to receive the post despite his close relationship with the Prime Minister, he may receive a more significant cabinet post, perhaps the Ministry of Economy which is currently being held by Mr. Netanyahu.

Many feel that MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who is the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee is the most likely candidate. He is a long time Netanyahu loyalist and a member of the Prime Minister’s inner circle. It also remains to be seen if Binyamin Begin will be moved to the cabinet in the upcoming cabinet rotation. He too is a long time trusted confidant of the Prime Minister.

But no major cabinet shuffle would be complete without the involvement of Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who currently serves as Minister of Galil & Negev Development. Deri left his previous post of Minister of the Economy to avoid signing on the natural gas deal. One must recall that during negotiations to form the coalition, Deri was promised the Interior Ministry. However, after the authority of the post was reduced, he moved to the Economy Ministry. Nevertheless, Deri may have the final word regarding who is appointed to the post to replace Shalom. If he announces he wishes to return to the Ministry of the Interior, the Prime Minister will not be able to turn him down.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)