Former Rishon L’Tzion Rav Yitzchak Yosef has instructed Shas chairman Aryeh Deri to support the coalition’s key legislative priorities—including Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s communications reform bill—in exchange for the advancement of the Basic Law protecting limud Torah and legislation strengthening kashrus, according to a letter released Tuesday.

In the letter, Rav Yosef made clear that the proposed agreement between Shas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu should move forward without delay. He directed that Shas support legislation deemed important to the coalition in return for the passage of the laws the party has been seeking.

As part of the effort to secure Rav Yosef’s backing, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sent the Rav Yosef a detailed letter explaining the provisions of the communications bill.

Karhi wrote that, “An explicit clause has been added to the law stating that sporting events of public importance will not be broadcast through the application on Shabbos or Yom Tov, with a clear definition of the beginning and end times of Shabbos and the festivals.”

The minister also argued that the legislation would reduce chilul Shabbos rather than increase it.

“So too regarding technical services provided to the public,” Karhi wrote. “This is a unique and explicit provision that has never before appeared in similar legislation. Honorable Rabbi, the real question, in my humble opinion, is not whether the proposed arrangement is perfect, but whether it is better than the existing situation. To me, the answer is clear: the law reduces chilul Shabbos in government operations, decreases the need for human labor on Shabbos, adds restrictions that did not previously exist, and even limits the application to channels that existed before the law’s publication in order to prevent the expansion of inappropriate content. I would be honored to meet with the Rabbi at any time to present all of the facts and professional details and answer any questions so that these matters can be evaluated based on facts rather than biased reports.”

In his response to Deri, Rav Yosef stressed the urgency of securing passage of the Torah legislation.

“There is no room for delay, and under no circumstances should the passage of the Torah Study Law be endangered,” Rav Yosef wrote. “Regarding kashrus, we must save the Jewish people from consuming neveilos and treifos, and therefore the current version of the law should be supported. It is not sufficient merely to refrain from wrongdoing. Therefore, the matters that are important to the authorities should be allowed to pass, while urgently conditioning them on the advancement of the above-mentioned legislation.”

The letter follows an understanding reportedly reached between Netanyahu and the chareidi parties to advance a Basic Law protecting limud Torah, legislation preventing the arrest of bnei yeshivah who have not complied with military draft orders, and a comprehensive kashrus law.

In exchange, the chareidi parties agreed to support several coalition initiatives, including legislation splitting the role of the Attorney General. On Monday, they also voted in favor of the first reading of a bill establishing a political commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre.

Until now, however, Shas had announced that it could not support Karhi’s communications bill in its current form, arguing that changes demanded by its rabbinic leadership had not been incorporated into the final version. The party said those amendments were intended to safeguard religious values and declared that, without them, it would oppose the legislation.

Even so, Shas urged Karhi to divide the bill and hold a separate vote on the provisions easing regulatory restrictions for newer television stations, including Channel 14. The party indicated it would support such a measure and expressed hope that the proposal would be brought before the Knesset quickly.

Tuesday morning’s directive from Rav Yitzchak Yosef now appears to clear the way for Shas to support the broader communications legislation as part of the coalition agreement advancing the Torah Study Law and other measures important to the chareidi parties.