Political upheaval in Shas: Three members of the Shas list in Kiryat Gat announced last night (Sunday) their support for the Ahi party, led by Hida Abergil, which is running in the Knesset elections.
Among the three are two Shas City Council members, Ofer Reuven and Shlomi Batitou, as well as list member Attorney Nissim Shai Al-Makis.
According to a report in Israel Hayom, the three left Shas at a public event held in the city and joined the Ahi party.
The Ahi party presents the move as part of a broader trend among activists affiliated with Shas.
The head of the Ahi list, Rabbi Yuval Elimelech, claimed that this is "one of a chain of events" in which Shas activists across the country are leaving the party. According to him, "the straw that broke the camel's back is the extremist position of Shas, which joined the Ashkenazi Haredi parties in their fight against conscription into the IDF.".
According to him, the Ahi party presents a completely different position and calls "in a clear and unambiguous voice for the conscription of every person who is not studying in a yeshiva.".
He added: "Anyone who sees Shas's decline in the polls over the recent period has received further evidence of the trend among the Shas voting public." According to him, "More and more Shas activists across the country who feel that the Shas movement does not represent them are moving to the Ahi party.".
