It may difficult to understand but if you ask Yahadut Hatorah MKs Moshe Gafne and Uri Maklev, Shas is trying to undermine efforts to have the Amar Bill pass, the very same bill intended to permit Shas-backed Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar to serve a second term.

On Wednesday, an argument erupted between the Yahadut Hatorah MKs and Shas’ Nissim Ze’ev.

Maklev began by questioning just where is the election for chief rabbis is heading, displeased with its current course. He criticized modifying the electoral body and ongoing efforts to change realities surrounding the election towards electing a different type of chief rabbi. Maklev feels the situation has become too politicized and the election issues must be returned to the Knesset Law Committee exclusively.

Ze’ev retorted “I am about to faint. Maklev the innocent lamb is speaking about professionalism. Last night Gafne did a great deal towards the exclusion of women. He filibustered in Knesset until 4:00am.

“The Knesset House Committee has sovereignty to decide which committee will address the law. Your policy is to reject everything! You seek either bad or worse. Why do I even care who will be the Ashkenazi chief rabbi? After all there is the Amar Bill which the chair of the Law Committee said he is burying deep, a donkey’s burial. We are not donkeys and he is not going to bury anything.”

It became more interesting when Gafne and Maklev responded, telling Ze’ev “you don’t get it. It is Shas that is playing a game, speaking in two voices. We won’t reveal the names of the senior Shas officials who approached us begging that we sign to kill the Amar Bill!”

Their statements are difficult to understand since both Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita and Shas leader Aryeh Deri appear to favor Amar’s reelection.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)