The Shas party has declared that it will not join any future governing coalition unless a permanent arrangement protecting the status of bnei yeshivah is enacted, with party leaders insisting that temporary legislative fixes are no longer acceptable after the next election.

Speaking Sunday evening, Shas parliamentary faction chairman MK Yinon Azoulay outlined the party’s conditions for entering the next government, while also criticizing the judiciary and rejecting the possibility of partnering with certain opposition factions.

Azoulay began by addressing the collapse of the temporary legislation designed to halt the arrest of yeshivah students over the draft issue. He stressed that Shas has no intention of accepting another short-term compromise.

“We are stating this as clearly as possible: there will be no temporary, band-aid bill-period,” Azoulay declared in an interview with Radio Kol Chai. “We are not looking for temporary fixes. We intend to permanently regulate the status of Torah scholars once and for all, immediately following the elections.

“This is an absolute condition for any coalition we join. For anyone sitting and studying Torah, our duty is to ensure they can dedicate themselves to their studies without harassment. We will take the IDF’s needs into account as appropriate, but temporary workarounds are completely off the table for us.”

Azoulay added that Shas intends to begin the next Knesset term with lessons learned from previous legislative battles, including efforts to prevent the High Court from overturning future laws dealing with the draft issue.

“This time, we are entering the start of the term having learned from past mistakes. We will pass the override clause and all necessary legislation to prevent the Supreme Court from summarily striking down these laws. The public speaks at the ballot box, and it is our obligation to carry out their will rather than surrender to the courts.”

The Shas lawmaker also ruled out the possibility of cooperating with Gadi Eisenkot’s political faction, arguing that members of the party have repeatedly expressed hostility toward the chareidi community.

“How can anyone talk about allying with parties like Eisenkot’s when his slate includes Elazar Stern, who consistently speaks out harshly against the chareidi public? We’ve seen outrageous statements from him just recently.”

{Matzav.com}