Shas Chairman Deri Calls Election Results a 'Miracle' After Setback
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Shas movement chairman Aryeh Deri described the party's election results as a "miracle" during a special faction meeting. Despite securing only six seats with 300,000 votes, down from 11 seats previously, Deri thanked God and the Council of Torah Sages for the outcome. He claimed external forces attempted to harm the party's success. Deri had previously sought to resign but was instructed to remain as leader.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri called the party's election results a "miracle" despite a significant drop in seats.
- The Shas movement secured 300,000 votes and six Knesset seats in the recent election.
- This is a decrease from the previous election, where Shas received nearly 400,000 votes for 11 seats.
- Deri claimed external forces and incitement campaigns attempted to undermine the party's success.
- The Council of Torah Sages forbade Deri from resigning as party leader after the election results.
The Shas movement held a special faction meeting attended by Knesset members and movement representatives from across the country. The meeting began with the recitation of "Mizmor L'Toda" (A Psalm of Thanksgiving).
Movement chairman Aryeh Deri addressed the attendees, discussing the party's electoral achievement despite what he claimed were efforts to undermine their success. "Thank God, 300,000 people said yes to the call of the Council of Torah Sages and were not tempted by the crazy incitement campaign against us in the last three years, from home and abroad," Deri stated. He described the situation as unprecedented in his decades of political experience, alleging that opponents exploited the movement's wartime restraint to harm it and its leaders, even attempting to divide its spiritual leadership.
Deri expressed his surprise at the relative success, recounting that "experts told me they didn't believe it was possible to survive such a campaign." He called the outcome "truly a miracle" for which God should be thanked. He emphasized the party's unity, noting its single spiritual and political leadership, a unified Knesset faction, and cohesive representation in local authorities, which he stated is rare in other parties.
In the recent elections, Shas garnered approximately 300,000 votes, securing six Knesset seats. This is a decline from the previous election, where the party received nearly 400,000 votes, resulting in 11 seats. Following this diminished result, Deri had requested permission from the Council of Torah Sages to resign from leading the party, but they forbade him from doing so, and he continues to lead Shas.
