Shas party chairman, Minister Aryeh Deri on Monday spoke out against Degel Hatorah Chairman MK Moshe Gafne regarding an attack launched against the chareidim and dati leumi community by a Haifa Deputy Mayor from the Yisrael Beitenu party.

Deri explained during an interview with Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) that if a Shas personality would speak out harshly against Degel he would be ousted immediately, questioning why Degel remains silent. Deri added that both Gafne and the head of Degel in Haifa, Councilman Miki Alfer, worked together with Lieberman to have Mayor Einat-Kalish elected and this led to Lieberman’s person being appointed to the deputy mayor post.

About an hour after Deri made his comments, Gafne was interviewed on Kol Berama Radio, using the forum to fire back. “We did everything possible to bring down the black regime of [former mayor] Yona Yahav, as he hounded the Shas and Agudas Yisrael educational institutions [in the city]. Despite all this, Shas did not team with us.

“To blame us with cooperating with Yisrael Beitenu because Shas wanted control of the religious council there? We did everything possible so that the deputy mayor would be ousted. His words are terrible by any measure and we will take care of it, but Shas won’t preach morality to us!”

Associates of Deri added” We are sorry that MK Gafni did not listen to the interview, as he did not understand him (Deri). Minister Deri tastefully explained Lieberman’s hypocrisy, who teamed with the chareidim in Haifa, and now attacks them and his representative humiliates the chareidim”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)