Shas leader Aryeh Deri is full of surprises and on Tuesday, 9 Adar II 5774, he announced that he feels opposition leader MK (Labor) Yitzchak Herzog is a suitable candidate for prime minister.
Deri and other chareidi MKs are being attacked, accused of backing the opposition as an act of revenge against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett and their coalition. Deri announced that he views Herzog as being capable and suited for the position, sending a clear message to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that he does not hold exclusive rights to chareidi support in a Knesset election.
In actuality, Deri and Herzog agree on many key issues, first and foremost on a socialist system that is better suited to the greater chareidi tzibur in Israel.
In addition, unlike Shas’ former leader MK Eli Yishai, Deri is not a right-wing hawk and he is far more willing to cut a deal with Labor than Yishai. While Deri of late has been working to mend fences with the leaders of settlement movement, he is not known for his unwavering support of communities throughout Yehuda and Shomron, once again closer the Labor party hashkafa.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
1. Before considering anything else, remember that Labor’s positions on economic and welfare state issues have always been closer to the hareidim than the Likud’s.
2. Netanyahu and Bennett declared war on the hareidim. All Herzog has to do is be less scary. Just saying the only sanction for refusing to serve in the army will be loss of yeshiva subsidies (but not the welfare state benefits Arab nationalists also get) – no penal sanactions such as prison or fines aimed at money raised overseas — and Herzog has a friend.
Given the hareidim are now forced to be anti-war (one can’t be anti-conscription and pro-war without looking similar), security issues aren’t a problem.
Agree, and it’s about time the chareidim realize the the real enemies may be the Lipshitz wearing ones.
Meant to write kipah (spell check replaced it with Lipshitz )
I suggest you keep your hashkafa to yourself as it is a hashkafa that in the present day endangers real jewish lives
ThinkingCrap
I think that the ones endangering the souls are Bibi & his Rasha friends