Speaking with the weekly BaKehilla Magazine, Rabbi David Yosef Shlita shares his thoughts on a number of matters. The rav, a son of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L, is now a member of the Shas Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah. He explains Shas remains united and all decision will be made by the rabbinic council.

He was asked to comment on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and if Shas would join the coalition if asked to do so.

Rav Yosef draws an analogy to Pharaoh in Egypt and how he turned his back on Yosef, who saved the country from starvation. Rav Yosef explains that Pharaoh begin gently and eventually, handed down the harsh gezeiros against Am Yisrael. He compares Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to “Pharaoh the rosha” and stated “He must do teshuvah”.

The rav explains that only if and when Mr. Netanyahu does total teshuvah will the Shas council of rabbonim entertain any notion of entering a coalition. He adds that even if this occurs at some time, they will never forget what the prime minister has done.

Rabbi Yosef explains that Netanyahu has turned his back on the very people who put him in office, citing how in his first term of office Tzipi Livni earned more votes than he did and only as a result of Maran instructing Eli Yishai to recommend to the president that Mr. Netanyahu form the coalition and not Livni did she fail in her effort to build a coalition. After Livni could not build a coalition without Shas, the mandate was given to Netanyahu.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)