JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Likud MK Dan Illouz submitted his resignation from the Knesset to Speaker Amir Ohana on Tuesday morning, following his announcement that he is joining the Yisrael Beiteinu party.

Join our WhatsApp group

Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email

Illouz’s departure paves the way for Shabtai Katash, a Chabad Hasid and resident of Lod, to enter the Knesset. Katash is set to become the first charedi lawmaker ever to serve on behalf of the Likud party.

An attorney and real estate entrepreneur, Katash has held several public positions over the years. He previously served as secretary of the community of Neria and as a member of the Lod City Council, where he chaired the municipal tenders portfolio.

He also served as a member of Israel’s Central Elections Committee and chaired local election committees.

Within the Likud party, Katash is a member of the party’s Central Committee and the Lod branch council, and serves on the secretariat of the Likud’s Georgian Forum, comprised of members who hail from the former Soviet province of Georgia.

Katash holds a bachelor’s degree in law, practices as an attorney, and has received rabbinical ordination from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.