Shas MK Azulai Slams Former Minister Hendel Amidst Party's Poll Decline

Member of Knesset Yinon Azulai of the Shas party sharply criticized former minister Yoaz Hendel on Tuesday, responding to Hendel's harsh remarks against Shas, which included calling the party "the father of all abominations" and accusing it of encouraging draft evasion. Azulai dismissed Hendel's comments, stating that Hendel "doesn't even smell the electoral threshold" and is seeking attention. "Every minute of publicity for you is precious and important for a person who doesn't smell the electoral threshold," Azulai said during an interview on 103FM radio.

Azulai also addressed Shas's recent decline in opinion polls for the first time. He acknowledged that the party had made mistakes during its campaign, admitting, "We always need to take stock, there is a problem and we are dealing with it. Our problem is that we neglected our public relations and our work, we unfortunately thought it was automatic."

Despite the poll numbers, Azulai expressed full confidence in Shas's strength on election day. "The real poll is on election day, and we have proven time and again that we are bigger than the polls. Our voters know they have a good, traditional party with diligent Knesset members," he asserted.