Former Shas party leader Eli Yishai this week will be meeting with HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita, who now heads the party’s Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael. Yishai expects the meeting will include a commitment that he will receive a senior post, locked in the second slot behind party leader Aryeh Deri. Deri has come around to prevent Yishai from breaking away and starting his own party.
Yisrael Hayom reported the meeting is the result of negotiations and intervention by senior party officials. The report quotes Deri supporters as saying that while Yishai will be locked into a senior slot, there will only be one leader of the party and that is Deri.
In a meeting of Shas faction members, Deri stated that while he will do his utmost to secure a slot for the veterans but he will not make any commitment. Deri has stated he does plan to bring new faces into the lineup.
Yishai supporters fear they will be pushed to an unrealistic place in the party lineup as a result of current realities.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
While Chacham Shalom Cohen is a talmid chacham and a highly respected Rosh HaYeshiva, he has never meddled in politics, nor rubbed shoulders with politicians till he either accepted or the mantle was just placed on his shoulders to be Shas’ rabbinic director. Sadly, Chacham Cohen doesn’t have the wherewith that the Rav had in dealing with all kinds of political situations. Rav Ovadia, ztk”l had held many high-level rabbinic positions both in and out of Eretz HaKedosha that were all of a political nature. While Rav Cohen might not like my recommendation, I’ll make it anyway just case someone can pass my thoughts onto him. Rav Meir Mazuz is a very astute and I believe with this acute perception he has already summed up that Yishai would best suit the position of leading Shas NOT Deri. I believe that Rav Cohen would feel as though his kavod was being trampled upon but it’s not but Rav Mazuz has been in the arena before and Rav Cohen has not.
Eli Yishai is a plain, ordinary, no airs individual who was good at following orders. Unlike Deri, who’s a snake and wormed himself out of military duty, Yishai on the other hand, can proudly served in the IDF. There’s also one other Shas MK that can proudly say that he served in the IDF. Deri like Lapid couldn’t run a lemonade stand and Deri’s killing what small chance that Shas has to keep a majority of its seats. Yishai on the other hand, followed all directives that the Rav, ztk”l gave him without varying off course. Deri on the other hand did /does whatever moves him and will destroy the party. If Deri is to have a position, let it be lower on the pecking order as he’s added nothing to the party in years.
If Shas splits, it is unlikely that both factions would pass the threshold, and possible that neither will. In addition, Kahlon may be a serious threat to Shas since his domestic policies are very similar, and he may be in a better position to deliver.
#1 espiritu-santo
you comments in general are rather good .Keep ’em coming.
Still,Deri ,with all his serious faults, built up the party,the ethnic pride,the school network,etc.
His feet just have to be to the fire to keep his behavior in line.
what did Yishai ever accomplish during his tenure as head of party (besides bringing in some ‘pork’)?
#1 Add to that Yishai’s lack of charisma