Itim Petitions to Disqualify Shas Candidate Amos Dror Over Religious Council Post
The Itim organization petitioned the Central Election Committee to disqualify Shas candidate Amos Dror from the Knesset race, citing his failure to resign from his senior post at the Haifa Religious Council 100 days prior to the elections.
The Itim organization filed a petition on Tuesday with the chairman of the Central Election Committee, demanding the disqualification of Amos Dror, the head of the Haifa Religious Council, for failing to resign 100 days prior to the elections as required by law. Concurrently, the organization demanded that the Ministry of Religious Services immediately place him on unpaid leave, stating that religious services are not a political stepping stone.
Amos Dror, who holds the sixth spot on the Shas party list, serves as the commissioner of the Haifa Religious Council, a senior public and executive role with broad authority. According to Section 7 of the Basic Law: The Knesset and Section 56 of the Elections Law, senior public officials in the top four ranks are required to fully resign at least 100 days before election day. Dror failed to meet this condition and continues to hold his position and exercise his powers.
Call for Immediate Suspension
In addition to the petition submitted to the Election Committee, the organization sent an urgent demand to the legal advisor of the Ministry of Religious Services, urging an immediate order for Dror's suspension and unpaid leave. Under the law and civil service regulations, a public servant's service must cease the moment their name is submitted on a party list for the Knesset.
"Religious services in the State of Israel belong to the entire public, not to any political mechanism. When a system designed to provide state services becomes a political stepping stone, public trust in religious institutions collapses," said Rabbi Shaul Farber, chairman and founder of Itim.
Legal representatives emphasized that Dror cannot manage religious services on behalf of the state in the morning and campaign for Shas in the evening. The strict regulations regarding the 100-day cooling-off period exist precisely to prevent such political mixing within public administration.
