Shas Founder Calls for Aryeh Deri's Resignation After Election Losses
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Nissim Ze'ev, a founder of the Shas party, is demanding that leader Aryeh Deri resign following a loss of five Knesset seats. Ze'ev criticized Deri's leadership and campaign management, suggesting new leadership is needed for Shas to recover. He also proposed a national unity government and warned Shas against aligning with the left.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shas founder Nissim Ze'ev calls for leader Aryeh Deri to resign after election losses.
- Ze'ev blames Deri's concentrated power and campaign management for Shas's decline.
- He suggests new leadership is necessary for Shas to regain voter support.
- Ze'ev proposes a national unity government led by Netanyahu and Eisenkot.
- He warns Shas could fall below the electoral threshold if it joins the left.
Nissim Ze'ev, a former Knesset member and founder of the Shas party, has called for the resignation of current party leader Aryeh Deri following the party's significant loss of five Knesset seats in the recent elections. Ze'ev, in an interview with Channel 7, attributed the decline to Deri's concentration of power, arguing that the party's support has become overly dependent on Deri personally, which he believes harms Shas.
Ze'ev criticized Deri's management of the election campaign, stating that veteran Shas members were not integrated into the campaign efforts. He pointed to the absence of senior figures like Yakov Margi and Yitzhak Vaknin from grassroots activities, contrasting it with previous elections where party leaders actively engaged with communities. Ze'ev suggested that some Shas voters have shifted to other parties, including Otzma Yehudit, Likud, and Yahadut HaTorah.
Regarding the contentious conscription law, Ze'ev claimed it was exploited as a political tool against the Haredi public during the election campaign, with various parties intensifying anti-Haredi rhetoric amidst the war. He noted that many Shas voters and their families serve in the IDF, including himself and his relatives, but this is not sufficiently highlighted.
To revitalize Shas, Ze'ev proposed Deri's departure and the introduction of new leadership, expressing doubt that Deri would actually step down. He also criticized the decision-making process within the party and the involvement of the Council of Torah Sages, referencing past personal conflicts with Deri that he believes led to his own political marginalization.
Looking beyond Shas, Ze'ev suggested forming a national unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu for two years, followed by Gadi Eisenkot for two years, to reduce societal divisions. He opposed a government reliant on Arab parties and warned that if Shas aligns with the left, it risks falling below the electoral threshold in future elections.
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