Justice minister Ayelet Shaked: ‘I definitely plan on coming back here’

Ayelet Shaked promised she’ll be back at the justice ministry during a farewell ceremony on Tuesday. Shaked was fired by Netanyahu on Sunday.

By World Israel News Staff

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said goodbye to the ministry in an emotional farewell ceremony on Tuesday attended by senior justice officials, including the ministry’s director-general Emi Palmor, attorney general Avichai Mandelblit and state prosecutor Shai Nitzan.

Shaked said she would return to the Knesset and to the justice ministry.

“To my replacement – when he will come – I say: you’re getting a ministry that is in very good condition, first-hand from the producer. Take care of it – and I’m not going to hide the fact that I have some personal interest in this request. I definitely plan on coming back here,” Shaked said.

“It is no secret that I loved working in this ministry, and that I had planned to continue working here, putting all my strength into it for the next four years. I had specific plans for continuing my work, but unfortunately they fell apart,” Shaked said.

Shaked founded a new party with Education Minister Naftali Bennett called the New Right. It failed to make it into the Knesset. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Shaked and Bennett.

Likud sources said, “Bennett and Shaked cannot continue in a sensitive role in the cabinet for another six months after they have not been elected by the public.”

However, reports also say that Netanyahu didn’t want the two using their senior positions to help propel themselves into the Knesset in the September elections.

The Likud remains split on whether or not to welcome Shaked into its ranks, with some senior members arguing she would be a boon to the party.

When Shaked first entered her position, a former Israeli minister made a sexist comment, saying “This is the first time that a justice minister can star in a calendar hung in garages.” In an emotional moment at the ceremony, Shaked was instead presented with a calendar featuring pictures of all the women she helped advance, Ynet reports.