A confrontation has erupted between Shas and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the state memorial events for Shas’ spiritual leader, the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which are scheduled to take place this year close to the elections.
The Attorney General believes that the events should be postponed until after the elections due to concern that state resources could be used for election propaganda, while Shas strongly opposes the move.
Over the past year, the Knesset passed a law commemorating Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, which stipulates that state institutions hold activities to promote his legacy and vision. Under the law, the activities are to take place on the anniversary of the rabbi’s passing, which this year falls on October 14, or during the following week.
This year, however, the date falls close to the elections. The Attorney General believes this raises serious concerns about the use of state resources for political campaigning, particularly in light of Shas’ use of Rabbi Ovadia’s image as part of its election campaign.
Against this backdrop, the Attorney General requested that the state memorial events be postponed until after the elections. Shas is refusing the demand, arguing that postponing the events would violate the law, which established the dates on which they are to be held.
The party is also drawing a comparison with memorial events for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Shas argues that if the memorial events for Rabbi Ovadia are canceled or postponed because of his identification with Shas, the same approach should be taken toward the Rabin memorial, which it says is identified with the left and the Labor Party.
“The brazen and outrageous demand by the ousted Attorney General to cancel the prayer and memorial gathering for Maran, our teacher Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of blessed memory, on the grounds that it constitutes ‘election propaganda,’ is a grave affront to Maran’s memory and to the enormous public in the State of Israel that follows the path of his legacy," Shas said in a statement.
The party added that, in its view, the demand also contradicts legislation approved by the Knesset: “This is also a blatant trampling of the law, which was unanimously approved by the Knesset plenum and requires that the gathering be held."
Shas announced that it intends to challenge the decision through legal channels as well. “We will not allow an Attorney General who serves the left to harm Maran’s memory, and we will use every legal means at our disposal to overturn the decision."