“It’s all spin … I can assure you with absolute certainty that there will not be any splits in Shas … Shas is united,” visibly annoyed Knesset member Aryeh Deri said when asked in an interview with Israeli TV Channel 1 on Sept. 30 about the bitter conflict between him and Knesset member Eli Yishai in the party’s highest echelons.
Shas Party Chairman Deri arrived at the studio as the main guest in a discussion to mark the first anniversary of the death of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the Shas Party founder and spiritual leader. He insisted on painting a rosy picture of the party. According to him, Shas survived its leader's death with considerable success and is now fulfilling the legacy he bequeathed it by serving as a social party.