Senior United Torah Judaism officials said Monday that Shas leader Aryeh Deri is "pushing with all his might" a kashrut-media deal, accusing him of neglecting the Torah Study Basic Law and the bill freezing arrests of draft-evading yeshiva students — which they say appear to be the only coalition legislation likely to pass this session, according to N12.
Senior figures in United Torah Judaism expressed frustration Monday with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, accusing him of focusing his coalition efforts on a kashrut-media deal rather than advancing the Basic Law: Torah Study and the bill freezing arrests of draft-evading yeshiva students. According to a UTJ source cited by N12's Dafna Liel, Deri is "pushing with all his might" the kashrut-media arrangement — a deal reportedly involving kosher certification and media regulation — while ignoring the Haredi legislative priorities that UTJ sees as essential.
The criticism comes as the current Knesset session nears its end, with UTJ officials noting that these two bills may be the only ones the coalition advances before dispersing. As The Zioneer has reported, Deri and his party have previously conditioned support for coalition legislation on the Basic Law and the arrests freeze, and the entire Haredi bloc issued a joint ultimatum late last month. Today's remarks signal deepening internal friction within the Haredi coalition partners over Deri's perceived priorities.
A key question remains whether the Torah Study Basic Law — which would grant equal legal rights to Torah learners and IDF servicemembers — will actually secure the votes needed for its final readings. The accusations suggest that UTJ doubts Deri's commitment to the shared legislative agenda.
2 developments
- DevelopingShas fires back at UTJ: accusations are false and harmful
- DevelopingShas official denies blame in coalition dispute over religious enlistment bill
- StrongUnited Torah Judaism joins Shas in blocking coalition legislation unless draft-evader arrests end and Torah study Basic Law passes
- DevelopingEli Hirshman: Sephardic Haredim opposed to Shas's handling of enlistment issue
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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