Just when things were looking up for Shas and party leader Aryeh Deri, Eli Yishai’s future in the party is questionable. Deri announced earlier in the week that the two have worked out their differences and Yishai was locked into the second slot on the party lineup and would serve as a senior minister in the next coalition.
Yishai met on Wednesday night the eve of 19 Kislev with HaGaon HaRav Shimon Ba’adani, a member of the party’s Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael. It was during the meeting that Rabbi Ba’adani told Yishai that Deri is demanding that he give him an undated letter of resignation to keep on file, which Deri will use when he feels Yishai has acted against party interests. Rabbi Ba’adani presented Yishai with other demands made by Deri as well. The other demands made by Deri have not been publicized.
Yishai explained he is not writing any such letter and as a result, a meeting that was to have taken place between the two on Thursday was canceled.
Arguably Deri is under a great deal of pressure, especially following this week’s poll that showed Shas with him at the helm would receive seven seats but if Yishai returns to the leadership position, Shas will receive nine seats. Deri officials discarded the accuracy of that poll.
At present, it appears the two will be meeting on Sunday, 22 Kislev, at which time they hope to determine Yishai’s future in the party.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
The two super stars are stars that are so different in personalities, attitudes and working behaviors. Bottom line, SHASNIKIM love Yishai and he is a magnet for a larger population.
Given the four seat minimum, a split Shas my end up wasting all their votes – and perhaps requiring it to (re)joing Yahdut ha-Torah, and the other split joining Kahlon or Bennett.
Can’t yidden just agree on something for once? This is ludicrous!
It is highly unlikely that Yishai will join Bennett. The much more likely scenario is that Yishai and Tekuma (which has not yet merged with Habayit Hayehudi) will run together in a new umbrella party (similar to UTJ). That is, of course, if Yishai finally leaves Sha”s and Deri which is looking more likely with every passing day.
C’mon Rav Aryeh, for the sake of the party and for the sake of Hacham Ovadia zatzal and fot th eef eakr of the Torah, back off! Back off! Back off!
Let Eli Yishai run the party! We’ll get so many more votes this way! Stop being silly! Give it up already! Be honest with yourself and do what’s right!
Deri is concerned about one person and one person only – HIMSELF!! Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas should step in right now and inform Deri that in order to save the party’s seats, he needs to step aside and let someone that they feel reflects their feeling of bringing oneness back to the Shas party. The Shas MK’s are also negligent as they don’t want to upset this obsessive compulsive Deri that will blast them all with his Moroccan mouth. Do not be fooled by Deri for if you are, you’re a bigger fool. I can’t and won’t speak in Chacham Ovadia’s name but he would not be at all happy with the divisiveness that Deri has played out here.
A lot of you don’t realize that Rav Ovadia, ztk”l have read in articles that he lived in an apartment where he had invited his youngest married son, his wife and children to live with him. The Rav had his own place to live but the family all ate together on Shabbat, Chagim and other events. The Rav’s daughter-in-law has two brother and one brother in particular that used to work with Eli Yishai (wonder how he got the job- nepotism you think?) If you’ve read articles on the Rav’s passing, many a journalist would ask this daughter-in- law questions about the Rav but they never bothered to ask her if ‘she’ discussed politics with the Rav. To give you a little insight, she too is a product of a Moroccan father and mother. Her father made it his business to pray, when he was in Israel, at the Rav’s private minyan in his apartment and then in the Rav’s synagogue. Comments here, comments there even though they are just in passing, still enter the ears and are heard. I will let all of you who have a basic knowledge of adding numbers, add them up for a conculsion.
Deri has had his fair share in the limelight.
Yishai, although on the quieter side, is a more straighforward guy, and therefore shas voters feel more secure with him at the helm