Haredi Parties Clash Over Coalition Talks and Draft Law
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
Ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and Degel HaTorah clashed over coalition talks and the draft status of yeshiva students. MK Yitzhak Pindrus suggested Shas might join a coalition with the left if a draft solution was found. Shas vehemently denied this, stating they would not negotiate with the left-wing bloc, regardless of draft issue progress, as per their Council of Torah Sages.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shas and Degel HaTorah clashed over coalition talks and the draft status of yeshiva students.
- MK Yitzhak Pindrus suggested Shas might join a coalition with the left if a draft solution was found.
- Shas denied any possibility of negotiating with the left-wing bloc.
- The party stated its stance is dictated by the Council of Torah Sages.
- Preventing the arrest of yeshiva students remains Shas's top priority.
Tensions flared between the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and Degel HaTorah on Saturday night amid complex coalition negotiations and heated discussions surrounding the conscription of yeshiva students and the arrest of draft dodgers. The dispute ignited after MK Yitzhak Pindrus of Degel HaTorah suggested that if his party could find a practical solution to the draft crisis, Shas would join a government even if it meant cooperating with the left-wing bloc. Shas responded sharply and immediately, vehemently denying Pindrus's assessment. In an official statement, the party declared, "As has been made clear more than once, under the directive of the Council of Torah Sages, Shas is not negotiating with any element of the left-wing coalition. It would be better if Knesset members from other parties stopped speaking on behalf of Shas."
Sources within Shas emphasized that while the world of Torah study and preventing the arrest of yeshiva students are their top priorities, there is no connection between efforts to solve this issue and crossing political red lines set by the Council of Torah Sages. They stated that attempts to link the two are incorrect and misleading, and any official stance from Shas will only be communicated by authorized representatives.
