Communications Minister Ariel Atias of Shas said Sunday that his party would not leave the ruling coalition if the government decided to destroy unauthorized Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria. In an interview with the Knesset Channel, Atias said that Shas “was not created for the outposts or for the settlements,” and would not leave the government to protect them.
Atias said the party would leave the coalition under certain conditions, including major Israeli concessions in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Shas could leave the coalition due to negotiations even if Israel does not agree to give the PA parts of Jerusalem, he said. If the government were to fail to approve Shas head Eli Yishai’s request to increase child payments for large families, that could lead to a coalition crisis as well, he said.