Shas Party Clashes with Gadi Eizenkot Over Election Ad and Political Alliances

The Shas party has sharply criticized Gadi Eizenkot and his party Yisra following a warning letter demanding Shas leader Aryeh Deri remove an election campaign video from his X (formerly Twitter) account. Yisra claimed the video, titled "A Father's Life," improperly used IDF soldiers and implied military endorsement of Shas, which they said violates election propaganda laws. The letter was a preliminary warning before potential further action.

Shas rejected these accusations, emphasizing the party's longstanding representation of tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists, and security personnel alongside Torah scholars. They clarified that the individual in the video wears civilian clothes and no IDF symbols appear, countering claims of misuse of military imagery. The party also accused Eizenkot of focusing on legitimizing Mansour Abbas and the Muslim Brotherhood as coalition partners, which they say undermines Israel's Jewish identity.

This dispute highlights tensions ahead of elections, with Shas defending its campaign content and political stance while Yisra seeks to enforce election law compliance. The warning letter from Yisra is not yet a formal decision by the Central Elections Committee but signals escalating conflict between the parties.