Bnei Brak – Former Shas chairman Eli Yishai slammed his successor, Arye Deri, for considering leaving his post as economy minister to enable the passage of a controversial gas deal.
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Deri told Channel 2 Saturday that he was mulling temporarily leaving the post if another way to pass the deal cannot be found. There has been talk of him exchanging portfolios with a Likud minister or temporarily giving his portfolio to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu met with Deri Friday, which led to him changing his mind after months of refusing to allow the deal’s passage. Just weeks ago, Deri told reporters that if he was forced to leave his post, his party would leave the coalition.
“Deri is a wheeler-dealer who must decide whether he represents the poor, who he said were invisible poor, or the gas tycoons,” Yishai told Channel 10. “If he truly represents the invisible, he should not give up his seat.
He should not give up. And if he represents the tycoons, he should just sign the deal.”
Yishai said it was wrong to leave his ministry and allow another minister to sign the deal. He suggested that quitting his current post would be proof that he could not accomplish anything.
“He bragged after the election that he got seven seats and I got zero,” Yishai said of the Yahad party he formed.
“He said the score was 7-0.
Now we see, he got seven mandates and zero accomplished.”
Deri’s office responded by accusing Yishai of lying and saying it is unfortunate that he continues besmirching Deri and Shas even after he was trounced in the March 17 election.
Hmm I am wondering what big talker Yishai would have done in his situation?
Anyone familiar with this deal knows that prolonging the deal is costing millions of dollars as well, it’s all politics.
I don’t know the specifics of this deal. But one thing I will say. The #1 objective of any charedi poltican should be to help charedim gain meanigful employment. Rather than being busy with shtipping more money at kolleim and mosdos UTJ and Shas should get busy training yingerlit in the workforce. Now that they are in charge as opposed to Mr evil Lapid and Lipmann lets see how you plan on getting the guys to work. By the way that evil Lapid passed a law that anyone currentley over 24 can work with no army service. Thats should be wonderful news for charedim. Why not build on that law and see what else can be done to allevaite poverty amoungst charedim?
Yishai unlike Deri has principles and doesnt throw non-Sefardic frum Jews under the bus.