Shas Party Challenges State's Decision to Postpone Memorial Event

The Shas party has filed an urgent appeal with the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, protesting the Attorney General's decision to postpone a state ceremony honoring Rabbi Ovadia Yosef until after the upcoming elections. Shas argues that the decision violates a specific Knesset law that set the date for the event and that any concerns about election propaganda could have been addressed with appropriate restrictions, rather than canceling or delaying the ceremony.

The appeal, submitted by attorney Guy Bussi, characterizes the Attorney General's decision as "unusual, sweeping, and disproportionate." Shas contends that the Knesset mandated the event, and the Attorney General's ruling effectively turns it into a prohibition, stating, "Elections do not suspend the rule of law." The party emphasized that they had assured the Attorney General that the ceremony would not include election propaganda, calls to vote, or party symbols, and had proposed measures to prevent any election interference.

Shas stressed that the event is a state-sponsored ceremony established by law, not a party affair, asserting that Rabbi Yosef's legacy is recognized by the state, not solely by Shas. The party also questioned the precedent, asking if a similar principle would lead to postponing the state memorial for Yitzhak Rabin due to his political affiliation with the Labor party. They argued that "statehood does not require erasing the political biography of the commemorated person."

In their appeal, Shas requested that Justice Sohlberg intervene, allow the ceremony to proceed as scheduled by law, and implement restrictions to ensure it is not used for election campaigning. The party views this as a principled stand for respecting Knesset laws and the significance of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's legacy in the public and state sphere, expressing hope that the Elections Committee will find a way to permit the event while upholding election regulations.