Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef launched an attack Saturday evening on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas leader Aryeh Deri.
"We needed to have passed the Draft Law before the government was formed, as stated in the coalition agreement, before the first budget," Rabbi Yosef said.
"We should not to have listened to Netanyahu after the budget. Why should they listen to him? If Chacham Shalom were alive, he would be shouting at the representatives - they are messengers of the sages, with all due respect - he would shout at them, 'Why are you dragging this out? Why are you listening to Bibi? Do you believe him? He's an atheist!'"
Rabbi Yosef continued, "You trust someone like that? What do you trust him for? To pass the Draft Law? That's why there's more foot-dragging, and more foot-dragging, and now we are in trouble."
He also claimed that the IDF mainly arrests Sephardic Jews: "They mostly arrest Sephardim; they know that their father is weak, their mother is weak. What is this, Russia? When they knock on the door, look through the peephole. If it's them - don't open the door. Get through this difficult time."
Recalling a former statement, he said, "If they don’t let us study Torah, we will leave the country. I'm not afraid to say this, even after they threatened me in the Supreme Court. If we have to, we’ll go to Lakewood to study Torah there."