MK Asher Criticizes Supreme Court Over Banned Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event

United Torah Judaism party chairman, MK Yaakov Asher, has sharply criticized the Supreme Court's decision to reject a petition filed by the Shas party. The petition sought to overturn a decision that prevented the state memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a revered spiritual leader, from taking place. Asher stated that the ruling demonstrates a "deep disconnect" from the public, arguing that Rabbi Yosef's legacy is not a priority for the court and the Attorney General.

The petition was filed after the Ministry of Religious Services decided not to allow an academic conference honoring Rabbi Yosef, scheduled for October 6-8, to proceed. Shas's legal representative, attorney Guy Bussi, argued in court that the decision constituted "deliberate and systematic harassment against the religious public." He claimed that Shas had proposed strict guidelines to prevent any association with election campaigning and alleged selective enforcement compared to other state memorial events.

However, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition, upholding the decision to prevent the event from being held during its originally planned dates, which were close to an election period. MK Asher commented that if the judges had shown proper respect for Rabbi Yosef's legacy, a balanced solution could have been found instead of "blatantly canceling" the memorial event.