Shas is not obligated to support Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after the elections, its chairman MK Aryeh Deri made clear on Saturday night.
“We have no obligation, but I do not belong to the ‘Anyone but Netanyahu’ coalition,” Deri said in a interview on Channel 10 News.
“If Netanyahu goes with what we believe in, we’ll go with him,” he added, noting that he “refused offers from the left and the right” to form an alternate coalition.
Deri would not respond when asked who he would support if he had to choose between Netanyahu and Labor chairman Yitzhak Herzog, for whom he publicly declared support several months ago.
“I say even now that Herzog is a worthy candidate [for Prime Minister]. I do not know, I have no answer. I need to see who will head the next government,” he said.
Referring to the current government, Deri said that it was “born in sin” and that Shas met the goal that it set for itself – to bring down the government.
“I learned one thing from this coalition – everyone takes care of his own sector,” he said, accusing Economy Minister Naftali Bennett of only looking after the needs of the residents of Judea and Samaria.
In recent days, Shas has been at the forefront of reports that it was offered by both Netanyahu as well as Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid to form an alternate government.
This week, Deri dismissed claims of backroom political deals between Shas and other parties.
“All options are open,” Deri said, but added, “In order to dispel any doubt, there is no ‘deal’ with anyone for the day after elections.”
Shas MK Nissim Ze’ev confirmed to Arutz Sheva on Thursday that Lapid indeed tried to organize a putsch against Netanyahu with the hareidi parties, as Netanyahu accused Lapid of doing in a press conference this week.
However, Ze’ev said, Lapid did not directly approach Shas but rather sent “messengers” to the party’s members in order to find out whether they were willing to form an alternative government.
Lapid’s methods of operation are “proof of his subversion,” according to Ze’ev.
