On Monday 9 Tammuz, Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri gave a statement to the media at the start of a Shas faction meeting in the Knesset following “a severe campaign against the chareidi tzibur and chareidi parties,” as he put it.

Deri explained the recent moves made on the issue of the Kosel and the Conversion Law, and sharply attacked the Reform movement and the incitement campaign against the chareidi public, which he said was aimed at dismantling the government.

“I decided to convene the journalists because in recent days there has been a severe campaign against the chareidi tzibur and chareidi parties, a journey of disinformation,” Minister Deri said, “that we decided to impose a halachic state here and take over the Kosel. A campaign of incitement by people who want to dismantle the government or other interests that are unfounded”.

On the freezing of the Kosel arrangement, Deri said that “what was, will be, the entire people of Israel is there, the Kosel is open to everyone, it is conducted in a way that does not bother anyone, even the small square that remains is the same. The Prime Minister announced that he will expand it. There is no change but only improvement. There was an attempt to give official recognition to the Reform movement and we blocked it.”

Regarding giyur, Deri continued, “There is a petition to the Supreme Court that wants to recognize conversions for the purpose of the Law of Return alone.” The Supreme Court ruled 20 years ago that the Reformists wanted to create a split and separation of conversions in Israel and to receive recognition under the Law of Return. This is something that has not happened to this day. The state conversion system is not under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The person running it is the Prime Minister’s Office. Most of the dayanim who convert there are from religious Zionism.

“It was Attorney General Mandelblit who had a discussion with him at his office and said that if you want to deal with the court’s petition, you have to pass a law. I should not have submitted this law; the prime minister should have. When the whole debate arose, I did not know the wording. He said, “I know only the state conversion, and look who’s struggling with me?” Reform, I have not changed anything. There was a need to make order, if not – there would be separation, everyone would do as he pleased. ”

Deri went on to attack religious Zionism: “Did I establish the Rabbinate or Rabbi Kook establish the Chief Rabbinate of Israel? Absurd, who is defending the teachings of Rabbi Kook? Me, Aryeh Deri.”

“There is no intention here to harm anyone, but if Reform or Orthodox private conversions are recognized, there will be no end”.

At this stage, Deri went on a sharp attack and said, “This past week the head of the Reform movement was here and interviewed us in English and accused us of causing division and we do not care about the unity of Israel. I want to quote Jacobs in a speech he gave, ‘I hear people about intermarriage as if it were a war’ This person who does not live with us, what do they want me to give them the key to the Law of Return, that I will give it to them in their hand?

“I really mean with pure intentions, I heard [Defense Minister] Mr. Lieberman who said that he does not want a halachic state here, we are not changing anything here.”

“Gilad Kariv, who is in the Zionist camp, I wanted to examine what he is involved in,” Deri continued, “he belonged to the Assaf organization [that assists asylum seekers http://assaf.org.il/he/ ] an organization of infiltrators and he boasts that he wants to settle them in Israel and he is the same person who wants to determine who is undergo conversion here!

As for the timing of all these issues together, Deri said: “We have no timing, unfortunately the issue of conversion arose only because of the attorney general’s demand that we should accept a court ruling. The Kosel – we were compelled to respond to the court on this issue, not only on this issue, until the last moment. You can say everything about us, but I have no interest in this struggle. Unfortunately, this is forced upon us and I say again, stop challenging us.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)