Yachad party chairman Eli Yishai, who was a former leader of the Shas party, continues jockeying for a partner for the upcoming election as polls show if Yachad runs on its own, it will once again fail to obtain sufficient votes to enter Knesset.

Yishai continues to warn that Shas leader Aryeh Deri is going to destroy the party, with polls showing the sephardi chareidi party does not fare well in elections. Yishai has held meetings and is trying to unite with Bayit Yehudi as previous efforts to reach agreement to join forces with Deri, his political nemesis, have failed.

In an interview with Yisrael Hayom newspaper’s Yehuda Schlesinger, Yishai explained, “The most important thing now is to unite the forces in the right-wing and not to lose votes because of the minimum threshold”. Yishai has become aware that if the smaller parties, including Yachad, run alone, they will not meet the minimum number of votes and as a result, those votes will be wasted, thereby endangering the right-wing bloc that exists in the current administration.

During the interview, Yishai attacked Deri, explaining, “Shas is being shattered and there are political arguments but not hate. I place my ego aside. We are in a situation in which there is doubt if Shas will make the minimum threshold. I want to save Shas. There is a threat it will not pass the minimum”.

“I said that we would run together and thereby save Shas. We can run in a formula similar to Yahadut Hatorah, two parties – Agudas Yisrael and Degel Hatorah, which have placed their machlokes aside and unite to obtain increased power. I have placed that plan aside as Deri remains adamantly opposed”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)