Aryeh Deri at Shas election rally
Aryeh Deri at Shas election rallyYaakov Cohen

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri warned on Wednesday evening at an election rally in Holon that the upcoming elections could decide the character of the state for the years to come.

"For the first time since the establishment of the state, the State of Israel will hold a referendum. Just like in Britain on the Brexit, just like in Spain and other countries - for the first time it will also happen in Israel. Citizens of Israel will have to choose between a Jewish state and a secular state. We will all go to the polls and have to choose whether we favor Judaism and tradition or whether we are against Judaism and tradition," Deri said.

He added, "Everybody will vote on whether he is for the Sabbath or against the Sabbath, whether he is for education for Judaism and values ​​or is he against and considers this religionization. We are going to a referendum after all the masks have been removed, and for the first time the character of the State of Israel stands before a fateful decision the likes of which we have never seen in Jewish history. If God forbid the anti-religious parties win, and Shas and the other religious parties lose, the damage will be irreversible."

"I am very concerned tonight. According to all the polls at the moment, the right-wing bloc does not have 61 seats, so I am sorry to say that we are headed towards the establishment of a secular government of Bibi Netanyahu along with Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and Liberman," continued Deri.

"On the way here, I saw the signs of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid with the title ‘secular government’. I want to tell you, Benny Gantz, something personal. You decided to throw the keepers of tradition and Judaism under the wheels of the Lapid and Liberman bus of incitement in order to collect a few seats. Jewish history will not forget the rift you caused, which led to a terrible system of schism and hatred that has not existed since the founding of the State,” Deri concluded.