The Sephardic-haredi Shas party on Saturday night said reports that it would join a government led by Yashar! chairma Gadi Eisenkot were "complete fake news."
In a strongly worded statement, the party made clear that it remains part of the right-wing bloc, in accordance with the instructions of its Council of Torah Sages.
The denial followed two reports analyzing how Shas would act if Ashkenazic-haredi United Torah Judaism chose to support the formation of a government by the bloc seeking a change in government.
Channel 12 News quoted a source in the Council of Torah Sages as saying that Shas would not obstruct the formation of such a government or act against a decision by United Torah Judaism, in order to prevent a split within the haredi community.
At the same time, Behadrey Haredim reported that Shas chairman Aryeh Deri has said in private conversations that the party would struggle to remain in the right-wing bloc if Rabbi Dov Lando instructed United Torah Judaism to join a government in exchange for an agreement on the Draft Law.
According to the report, Deri said that, in the absence of a figure with the authority of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in such a scenario, Shas would also be compelled to join such a move.
Responding to the reports, Shas stated: “As instructed by the Council of Torah Sages, Shas is part of the right-wing bloc, which cherishes the Torah and Jewish tradition." The party added: “Only official Shas statements are authoritative, not reports by journalists or people posting on social media."