Shas Leader Backs Unity Government With Netanyahu, Eisenkot
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Senior Shas leader Rabbi Moshe Maya supports a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, provided yeshiva students are exempt from conscription quotas. Maya suggested Eisenkot could be Defense Minister and potentially Prime Minister in a rotation. Shas officially recommended Netanyahu to President Herzog, while also calling for improved discourse regarding the ultra-Orthodox community.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Shas leader Rabbi Moshe Maya supports a Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government.
- Maya's support is conditional on no conscription quotas for yeshiva students.
- He suggested Gadi Eisenkot could serve as Defense Minister.
- Maya indicated openness to a rotation agreement for the Prime Minister role.
- Shas officially recommended Benjamin Netanyahu to President Herzog.
- Shas called for an end to negative discourse about Torah scholars.
A senior leader of the Shas party, Rabbi Moshe Maya, has expressed support for a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, according to leaked recordings obtained by i24NEWS. Maya stated his approval is contingent on a conscription law that does not impose quotas or threaten yeshiva students.
In the recordings, Maya outlines a framework for broad political cooperation, emphasizing that the status of yeshiva students must be secured without conscription quotas or perceived threats. This comes as consultations for forming the next government begin, with Shas representatives having already informed President Yitzhak Herzog that their party recommends Netanyahu for the task.
Maya envisions a government including the Likud, the ultra-Orthodox parties, Bezalel Smotrich's party, and Gadi Eisenkot. He suggested Eisenkot could serve as Defense Minister and indicated openness to a rotation agreement for the Prime Minister position with Netanyahu, stating, "He will receive a rotation."
Despite his willingness for significant political arrangements, Maya stressed that the status of yeshiva students in the conscription law is a non-negotiable issue. He criticized past attempts to address the matter as mere time-buying tactics.
The recordings surfaced as Shas representatives met with the President, officially recommending Netanyahu. Shas representative Michael Malchieli also called for an end to negative discourse regarding Torah scholars, citing difficult recent years for the ultra-Orthodox community.
When asked about alternative government compositions, Shas representatives highlighted the need for governmental stability amid security and internal challenges, but did not explicitly rule out a unity government, stating, "We hope the other side will understand the threats from within and without. The people of Israel want a stable government."
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