Secret Deal Between Shlomo Karai and Aryeh Deri Advances Kashrut and Media Reforms in Israel

A covert agreement between Shlomo Karai, Israel's Minister of Communications, and Aryeh Deri, leader of the Shas party, has been revealed amid ongoing political negotiations involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties. The deal links the advancement of a major kashrut reform, important to Shas, with the promotion of a media reform bill favored by Karai.

The kashrut reform, which recently passed its first reading in the Knesset, aims to restore exclusive control over kosher certification to the Chief Rabbinate, effectively reversing a previous reform that opened the market to competition. This change will eliminate alternative kosher certification providers and place thousands of kosher supervisors under local religious councils, primarily municipal ones. The reform is expected to cost tens of millions of shekels and could increase food prices, impacting the cost of living.

Previously, some ultra-Orthodox factions opposed Karai's media reform, fearing it would lead to Sabbath desecration and the broadcast of inappropriate content under government auspices. However, sources within the United Torah Judaism party claim Deri struck a separate deal with Karai: the media reform bill will be advanced in exchange for pushing the kashrut reform. This agreement comes as Netanyahu finalizes a broader deal with ultra-Orthodox parties.

The kashrut reform also mandates that all city rabbis report to the Chief Rabbinate, centralizing religious authority. The media reform includes establishing a government-funded app to provide free broadcasts, which critics argue threatens the status quo and could introduce non-modest programming. The government plans to bring the media reform bill to a first reading vote in the Knesset soon.

This political maneuvering highlights the complex negotiations between secular and religious parties in Israel, balancing control over religious services and media regulation.