In a week after Yossi Deutsch announced his intention to run for mayor of Jerusalem, and in light of the Shas party’s attempts to find a worthy candidate for mayor of Elad, Minister Aryeh Deri is currently formulating a nationwide compromise.

According to senior Shas members who are close to the chairman and who spoke with BeChadrei Chareidim, Deri is initiating a nationwide campaign, according to which Shas will support Deutsch for mayor of Jerusalem, in exchange for the entry into the chareidi cities of Bnei Brak, Elad, and others, which today are divided between Agudas Yisrael and Degel Hatorah, without Shas.

BeChadrei is reporting that part of the agreement promoted by Deri also states that already in the upcoming elections, Shas will receive the mayor of Elad post, while Degel Hatorah will be satisfied with the city of Bnei Brak, as the agreement between Degel and Agudah.

Today, as stated, the rotation takes place in many cities without Shas, even though it holds some of them there is a similar number of Shas voters or more than for the other chareidi parties, both Ashkenazi.

Thus, for example, according to the data in BeChadrei, in the city of Bnei Brak, Shas holds more power than Degel, but is not included in the division. In Elad, Shas also represents a crushing majority in the city, but due to a split between the rabbis, the Ashkenazim succeeded in taking over the mayoralty.

In the city of Jerusalem, according to BeChadrei, the Shas faction also has a larger force than that of the Lithuanian faction, and yet it is not presented as relevant regarding the upcoming mayoral election in the capital.

If the deal is carried out, Shas will also drag the Degel Hatorah faction to the equation in Jerusalem, which will significantly increase the chances of Deutsch getting elected, when the Degel Hatorah supporters are forced to support him despite their opposition, and in exchange, in Elad, the position will go to a candidate from Shas.

Shas has refused to respond to a request by BeChadrei Chareidim for a response to the report.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)