Shas says it still backs Netanyahu and is holding no talks with rivals

Shas, the ultra-Orthodox party, issued a statement on Tuesday saying it remains behind Benjamin Netanyahu and is not conducting negotiations with anyone else. The Times of Israel reported that the party was trying to put an end to speculation that its backing might be available to other contenders, at a time when its fellow Haredi party, United Torah Judaism, has described itself as a free agent.

According to the text of the statement published by News.co.il, Shas said it was clarifying its position again in response to recent interviews and public remarks. The party said that, on the instruction of its rabbinic council, it had recommended Netanyahu to the President of Israel as the candidate to form the government, after he pledged to pass a law settling the status of yeshiva students. For that reason, the statement said, Shas continues to support him. Political correspondent Eli Hirshman of N12 relayed the same statement, and Ynet also carried it as a news alert.

Who Shas is

Shas is an ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, party drawing much of its support from Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, whose families trace their roots to Spain, North Africa and the Middle East. Its long-time leader is Aryeh Deri, who posted the full statement on his own account on X. In that post, Deri shared the party's wording that Shas is not negotiating with any other party and remains with Netanyahu.

Shas takes its major political decisions from the Council of Torah Sages, a body of senior rabbis that guides the party. The statement framed the recommendation of Netanyahu as a decision made at the council's instruction rather than by the party's politicians alone.

How a prime minister is chosen

After a Knesset election, Israel's president holds consultations with each party in parliament. Each party tells the president which lawmaker, if any, it recommends to try to form a government. The president then gives the task to the candidate seen as most likely to assemble a majority coalition. A recommendation is a public signal of support, but coalition talks over policy and cabinet posts usually follow, which is why parties are often courted after they have made their choice.

Shas was underlining that its recommendation of Netanyahu stands and that it is not open to approaches from rival camps.

The yeshiva students law

The law Shas referred to concerns full-time students in yeshivas, the religious seminaries where Haredi men study Jewish texts. The Times of Israel explained that the phrase refers to legislation that would write exemptions from military service for Haredi men into law. Military service is compulsory for most Jewish Israelis, and the question of whether and how yeshiva students should serve has been one of the most divisive issues in Israeli politics for decades.

The Hebrew versions of the statement differed slightly in wording. One version carried by N12 said Netanyahu had committed to approving the law, while the version published by News.co.il and posted by Deri said he had committed to passing it. The meaning is close, and both describe a pledge from Netanyahu that Shas is treating as the basis for its support.

United Torah Judaism's position

The statement came as the other Haredi party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), has been signalling independence. The Times of Israel reported that UTJ has declared itself a free agent, and its liveblog noted that the UTJ leader had set out conditions for support: draft exemptions, funding for schools and preservation of the status quo on religion and state. That status quo refers to long-standing arrangements on matters such as the Sabbath, marriage and religious education.

By contrast, Shas chose to state publicly that its support is not in play.

What the reports do not say

The statement does not identify which interviews or remarks prompted it, or who made them. None of the reports includes a response from Netanyahu or his Likud party, or from UTJ. The reports also do not say when Netanyahu is expected to bring the yeshiva students law forward, what its terms would be, or what Shas would do if the law were not passed.