Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Shas Party, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening, saying he “won’t repent,” while appearing to back the premier’s political rival, Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot.
The rare remarks suggested that Shas could potentially be open to joining a government led by Eisenkot following the upcoming elections, raising questions over the longstanding haredi alliance with Netanyahu’s bloc.
“We are in a secular country ...There are those whom I don’t believe will repent,” Yosef said in a filmed speech.
“There’s no chance [Netanyahu] will repent. Eisenkot might repent,” he added.
Shas has been a partner in Netanyahu’s bloc for decades, with the prime minister’s ruling Likud party relying on the haredi parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – as key coalition partners.
