Left Attempts to Engineer Collapse of Shas Party to Weaken Israeli Right

In recent days, the Shas party has become a focal point in Israeli politics amid claims of internal collapse and declining poll numbers. These developments come after failed attempts by left-leaning media and analysts to split the Likud party and the Religious Zionist camp. The left has now shifted its focus to Shas, aiming to create a perception of disintegration within the party to undermine the right-wing bloc.

The reported turmoil within Shas centers on two internal disputes: frustration over the non-appointment of the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef as president of the Council of Torah Sages, and a budgetary conflict between Rabbi Abergil from Netivot and the party’s educational network. These disagreements, however, are typical of any active political party and involve only a small fraction of Shas’s voter base, with Netivot accounting for about 10,000 votes, roughly a quarter of one of Shas’s 11 nationwide seats.

Despite media exaggeration, including left-wing commentators predicting a loss of four seats overnight, Shas has consistently maintained double-digit mandates in elections. The party’s voters are known for low participation in telephone polls, leading to frequent underestimation of its true strength. Past polling errors have shown Shas’s actual support to be significantly higher than predicted.

Analyst Shlomo Filber describes the current narrative as a transparent attempt at "consciousness engineering" aimed at weakening the national camp. While internal tensions exist, their political impact is overstated. Historically, Shas has proven resilient at the ballot box, and it is expected to remain a key pillar of the right-wing coalition despite ongoing media speculation.

The article concludes with a caution to the public against being misled by manipulated poll figures and media dramatization, emphasizing that Shas’s core support remains intact as elections approach.