Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said at a faction meeting that what he called violent arrests of Torah learners must stop. He said the party had told the coalition chairman that it would not support any coalition legislation unless two bills move forward, a law to halt arrests and a Basic Law on Torah study.
According to Deri, Shas is linking its support for government legislation to progress on those measures. He framed the demand as a response to the continued arrests of yeshiva students and other Torah learners, saying the situation cannot continue.
The remarks were made during a meeting of the Shas faction. Deri did not say when the bills would be advanced or what steps the coalition chairman planned to take in response.