Shas Leader Aryeh Deri Meets Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef to Ease Party Leadership Tensions

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri visited the home of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the head of the Council of Torah Sages and the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, on Thursday. This meeting is part of ongoing efforts to reduce tensions within the Shas party regarding its leadership ahead of upcoming elections.

Recently, a proposal was presented through Deri's brother, Momo Deri, who acts as a special envoy for the party. The plan suggests that Aryeh Deri would sign a document or an amendment to the party's bylaws stipulating that all religious decisions within Shas would follow the leadership style of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, as currently embodied by his son, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

The practical effect of this arrangement would be to establish Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef as the central religious authority of Shas without officially granting him the title of President of the Council of Torah Sages. Earlier this week, it was revealed that intense negotiations have been underway between Deri and Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's household, mediated by Momo Deri, aiming to calm internal disputes and unify the party's direction before the elections.