Shas Leader Admits Mistakes on Yeshiva Students' Status, Sets Coalition Red Line

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party, publicly acknowledged on Tuesday that "mistakes were made" regarding the status of yeshiva students. Speaking at an event in Elad, he declared that no future coalition government would be formed without guarantees for the yeshiva students' standing.

Yosef addressed internal criticism within the Haredi community, urging against boycotting the party and defending their political engagement. "There is criticism, but what can we do, it's the result. So we won't vote? So we'll give power to the left? God forbid the left rises? Can we rely on them? Certainly not," he stated.

He elaborated on past failures, admitting, "We all admit that mistakes were made in the past. From now on, we want there to be strength for the yeshiva students. We will not think about interests, this one wants to be a rabbi here, that one wants to be a rabbi there, a judge here. There is a sect of flatterers who do not see God's face. I speak for the sake of heaven, only for the sake of heaven. Not to seek all sorts of interests, self-honor, and the like."

In a veiled reference to his sister, Adina Bar-Shalom, who has been critical, Yosef questioned the meaning of "our mentor's legacy" if it involved shaking hands with figures like Benny Gantz (referring to Gantz's past meeting with former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot). Yosef's firm stance comes weeks after reports of a significant rift between him and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, which had raised concerns about Yosef potentially calling for a boycott of the party.