Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri on Sunday threw his weight behind former Communications and Welfare Minister Moshe Kahlon, who last week officially cancelled his membership in the Likud party, as he prepares to form a new political party.

“If [Kahlon] has ten more seats, we’ll be able to make changes together,” Deri was quoted by Channel 2 News as having told reporters.

“Khalon is social, he grew up where I grew up. After the election there will be new players. Kahlon will get full cooperation from us,” said the Shas leader.

“Even if he takes one seat here and there from me, Kahlon is new tidings. We do not fight with each other; on the contrary, welcome to the club,” Deri added.

Kahlon last week announced his intention to form what he called “a new political framework” when new elections will be called, to address the high cost of living.

Kahlon also criticized the government, saying it “needs to decide to tell the large companies and food companies: ‘gentlemen, I’m giving you a year-and-a-half to get organized because I’m going to open the market to competition and break up the centralization, lower import taxes and bring food here that can be bought for the same price as abroad.”

The comment followed the recent Berlin campaign, which sparked an outcry through its Facebook movement calling on Israelis to emigrate for lower prices abroad, noting that some Israeli goods are cheaper in Berlin than in Tel Aviv.

In the last Knesset coalition Kahlon enjoyed popularity before surprisingly announcing before the last elections that he was leaving politics. Two days before the election, he was tapped by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to head the Israel Land Administration (ILA), but Netanyahu reneged on his promise after forming his new Cabinet.