Ministers attending last week’s cabinet meeting in Jerusalem marking the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the “government of change” were somewhat taken aback when Foreign Minister Yair Lapid acknowledged God.

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Lapid is typically seen as irreligious. He is the son of the late Tommy Lapid, a firmly anti-religious politician, and Yair himself is an opponent of the current religious status quo.

But that didn’t stop him from remarking on the anniversary of his political partnership with religious Prime Minister Naftali Bennett:

“Every morning, I get up and thank the Almighty for giving me the privilege of serving the country.”

Seemingly surprised by the statement, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who is semi-religious, responded:

“And I thank the Almighty that every morning Yair Lapid gets up and thanks the Almighty.”