"The Likud without Shas is like a house without a mezuzah [Biblical passages that must be placed on the doorpost]." So said Shas Party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef last night, reinforcing an announcement by Shas political leader Interior Minister Eli Yeshai that Shas would join only a government formed by Ariel Sharon, and not one formed by Amram Mitzna of Labor. Shas spokesman David Sudri said today that Shas has some important features that are lacking in the Likud - "the Sephardic and religious issues" - and that Shas therefore complements the Likud. It is widely assumed that Shas is thus attempting to attract voters who are wavering between the Likud and Shas.
The National Religious Party is taking a similar approach. It recently commissioned a survey that found that 32% of Likud voters describe themselves as religious, and that almost that amount would vote for the NRP if the Likud did not exist. The NRP has therefore decided to target those voters, posting some 1,000 billboards around the country with messages such as: "Sharon and Mitzna are not thinking about Judaism; the NRP will preserve Jewish education."
The National Religious Party is taking a similar approach. It recently commissioned a survey that found that 32% of Likud voters describe themselves as religious, and that almost that amount would vote for the NRP if the Likud did not exist. The NRP has therefore decided to target those voters, posting some 1,000 billboards around the country with messages such as: "Sharon and Mitzna are not thinking about Judaism; the NRP will preserve Jewish education."