Will the Shas reservist be disqualified from running in the elections?

The organization Itim has filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee demanding the disqualification of Amos Dror, the sixth candidate on the Shas list, after he failed to resign from his position as head of the Haifa Religious Council 100 days before the elections, as required by law. The organization also demands that the Ministry of Religious Services place him on immediate unpaid leave.

The organization Itim filed a petition on Tuesday with the chairman of the Central Elections Committee demanding the disqualification of Amos Dror, the head of the Haifa Religious Council and the sixth candidate on the Shas list for the Knesset, after he failed to resign from his public position 100 days before the elections as required by law. Simultaneously, the organization demands that the Ministry of Religious Services place him on immediate unpaid leave. The petition is based on Article 7 of Basic Law: The Knesset and Article 56 of the Elections Law, which require a senior public official in the top four ranks to resign at least 100 days before election day. Dror continues to hold his position and powers in practice. Rabbi Shaul Farber, chairman of Itim, said that religious services belong to the entire public and not to a party mechanism, and that religious councils must operate with integrity and statesmanship. Attorney Yair Mevorach Shag from the organization emphasized that Dror cannot have it both ways—managing religious services in the morning and garnering votes in the evening.