Against the background of party chairman Aryeh Deri being investigated for tax offenses, Shas officials began initial contacts with former chairman Eli Yishai on Monday to examine the possibility of returning to head the party if Deri is forced to leave politics, according to Yisrael Hayom.
Sources in Shas said that "support for Deri's leadership is absolute and there is no scenario in which he is not the one who will continue to lead the party." Yishai declined to comment. On Monday night, Yishai and the son of the chairman of the Shas Council of Sages met at length for all to see at an event in honor of the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar.