The chairman of the Knesset Education Committee, MK Yossi Taieb (Shas), is convinced that despite the legal difficulties, the chairman of his party Aryeh Deri will return as a minister in the government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Deri from his roles as Interior and Health Minister in late January. The move was necessitated by the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Shas chairman may not serve as a minister in the current government following his conviction for tax offenses one year ago.

"Aryeh Deri will return to being a minister. The people of Israel came out to vote en masse so that the chairman of our party will serve as a senior minister, and we will make sure to fulfill what the people voted for," Taieb said in an interview with Radio Kol Chai on Thursday.

Taieb also commented on the issue of the abolition of the tax on soft drinks. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently ordered ministry officials to draw up plans to nullify the taxes on sugary soft drinks as well as on disposable cutlery and dishes. The taxes, which were imposed by the previous government, came under fire from haredi lawmakers, who accused the Bennett-Lapid government of intentionally imposing taxes on consumer goods disproportionately impacting the haredi sector.

"As far as I'm concerned, there's no doubt about the abolition of the tax. Promises need to be kept. I'm personally convening the Education Committee to discuss the issue of obesity [caused by the sugary drinks]. We'll hear all the experts," said Taieb.

"The health risk cannot be ignored, but this tax targeted the haredi public," he added.