Aryeh Deri
Aryeh Deri is the chairman of the Shas party and a veteran political leader representing the Sephardic Haredi community in Israel. He is a central figure in the Israeli governing coalition, focusing on religious legislation and the preservation of the status of yeshiva students.
Aryeh Deri is the long-standing leader of the Shas party, serving as a pivotal power broker in Israeli politics for decades. As the head of the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox movement, Deri's influence extends across social, religious, and political spheres, often acting as a bridge between the Haredi community and the secular state apparatus. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to the "Torah crown" and the socio-economic welfare of Israel's periphery. In the current political landscape of mid-2026, Deri has positioned Shas as a primary defender of the Haredi educational system and its exemption from military service.
Amidst heightened tensions regarding IDF recruitment and the legal status of yeshiva students, Deri has taken a proactive stance in supporting those resisting conscription. His recent visit to Prison 10, a military detention facility, highlighted his direct involvement in the welfare of yeshiva students facing legal or military sanctions. Furthermore, Deri has led the legislative push to anchor the status of Torah study through the "Basic Law: Torah Study." This initiative aims to grant constitutional weight to full-time Torah study, protecting the Haredi public from judicial rulings or legislation mandating universal conscription.
Recently, Deri has been at the center of intense coalition maneuvering. In July 2026, he reached a significant agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold early elections on October 20, 2026, in exchange for the advancement of Haredi-backed legislation. However, his leadership has faced internal challenges; he has been accused by some within the Haredi camp of promoting futile laws for personal campaign purposes, and has even faced public dissent from Shas voters. Despite these frictions, Deri remains a critical architect of the current government's survival and its future electoral strategy. He continues to sharply criticize the High Court of Justice, recently labeling its interim orders against Haredi-related laws as an expression of "power intoxication" and judicial activism.