Among many voters in the National Religious community, the name of the Shas party is political anathema – and much of the credit for that goes to Aryeh Deri, the new/old leader of the party, who is back together with Ministers Eli Yishai and Ariel Attias.

As a member of the government of Yitzchak Rabin in 1993, Deri, who then led Shas, did not oppose the Olso Accords.