Shas Party Senior Admits Focus on Ultra-Orthodox Cost Traditional Voters
תומצת מתוך Arutz Sheva על ידי baba
A senior Shas official admitted the party's focus on ultra-Orthodox voters at the expense of traditional supporters led to a significant electoral defeat, potentially reducing their Knesset seats to six. The party lost over 100,000 voters, with traditional voters in the periphery shifting to Likud and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Internal tensions are high as the party faces a major political and ideological crisis.
הידיעה ב-5 שורות · תקציר של baba
- Shas party senior admits focusing on ultra-Orthodox voters cost them traditional support.
- The party is projected to win only six Knesset seats, a dramatic electoral decline.
- Shas lost over 100,000 voters compared to the previous election.
- Traditional voters in the periphery reportedly shifted to Likud and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
- Internal tensions are high, with party chairman Arieh Deri avoiding contact with a senior rabbi.
A senior official within the Shas party has admitted that a strategic error was made by focusing on the ultra-Orthodox base at the expense of the traditional Sephardic voters, leading to a significant electoral defeat. The party is reportedly in shock and frustration following the preliminary results, which indicate Shas will secure only six Knesset seats, a dramatic and unprecedented decline. This is a substantial drop from the 392,964 votes received in the previous election, with current tallies showing around 273,708 votes, a loss of over 100,000 voters. This decline is particularly sharp considering the natural growth within the ultra-Orthodox community.
The analysis reveals Shas lost support on two fronts: in ultra-Orthodox cities, votes shifted to United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit, while traditional strongholds in the periphery saw a massive exodus of voters. "We took a devastating blow precisely where we thought we were strongest," the senior official told Channel 7. "The traditional public, those with transparent kippahs and the loyal public in the periphery who have been with us for years, simply turned their backs on us." The official explained that while Shas was engaged in complex political calculations, traditional voters overwhelmingly moved to support Likud and Itamar Ben-Gvir, with Likud absorbing the periphery vote too late to counter.
The senior official further stated that the campaign suffered from "complete blindness," failing to engage with the traditional base and instead retreating inward. Voters in the periphery felt Shas no longer represented the "combative and nationalistic voice" they sought, causing a significant portion of their traditional support to vote for Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir. Internally, tensions are reportedly high, with the Elder of the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Moshe Maya, attempting to contact party chairman Arieh Deri about the electoral failure, but Deri has avoided the conversation. Shas appears to be facing one of its most severe political and ideological crises.
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