Minister Eli Yishai, head of the Shas movement’s Knesset faction, said Tuesday that it has been clear for some time that the government would need to call for early elections. “Even after the elections,” he added, “Shas will not support a budget that will trample the middle class and the weaker sectors of society.”
“The upcoming elections will be about the cost of living, about lost pensions, about the prices that have hit record highs,” he declared. “Nobody argues that we need to deal with the Iranian issue, so the only debate is over social issues. A strong Shas will bring social justice.”