The crash of Shas: the traditionalists moved away and the Haredim did not forgive
Shas is expected to drop from 11 seats to only 6, and within the party they are already pointing to the mistake that alienated Haredi and traditional voters. Against the backdrop of reports that Deri…
Assessment
Shas is staring at a near-halving of its parliamentary seats, a collapse driven by alienating both its traditional base and hardline Haredi voters. The party's internal blame game and talk of Deri's departure suggest a leadership crisis as much as an electoral one. The rabbis' intervention to shore him up will test whether religious authority can override political damage.