"Electoral Nightmare": The Bomb Dropped on Aryeh Deri and the Huge Gift to Ben Gvir | Mati Tuchfeld
The statement by the Rishon LeZion against Netanyahu puts Deri in an electoral nightmare. The fear of Shas's right-wing voters defecting to Ben Gvir will force the party chairman to walk back the rabbi's words…
Assessment
A senior Sephardic rabbi's criticism of Netanyahu creates a political trap for Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who now faces the risk of losing right-leaning voters to Itamar Ben Gvir. Deri must quickly distance himself from the rabbi's remarks and reaffirm Shas's right-wing identity to prevent defections. The episode exposes the fragile coalition between Shas's religious base and its political alliance with the Likud-led bloc.