Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef makes an appearance at a party rally in 2006. (Maan Images)

Party Chairman: Eli Yishai

Established: 1984

Current Knesset seats: 11

Official Website: www.shasnet.org.il (Hebrew only)

Official Knesset Profile: Shas

Shas mainly represents the community of orthodox Israeli Jews of non-European background, and supports the application of some forms of religious law in Israel. As a religious party, Shas' spiritual leader, Ovadia Yosef, plays a major role in shaping the party's ideology.

Shas is steadfast in its opposition to any division of Jerusalem. This is despite the fact that Yosef has long stated his support for negotiations leading to a return of occupied territory to the Palestinians, arguing that saving Jewish lives is more important than acquiring additional territory. Shas has previously joined governments that were engaged in peace negotiations with the Palestinians (under Ehud Barak, 1999-2001, and Ehud Olmert 2006-2008), but has usually tied its support to responsiveness to its top demands, such as increased funding for religious institutions and an insistence on continued Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem.


Key Party Members


Eli Yishai. Official Knesset Profile. The current chairman of Shas, he is considered a highly controversial figure, owing to his hard-line views on several social and security-related issues. At the height of the second Palestinian Intifada, Yishai proposed a plan that would allow Israel to strip the citizenship of Palestinians it viewed as a threat to the state's existence. Read more.


Ovadia Yosef. An Iraqi-born Haredi Jewish rabbi, he is considered one of Israel's top authorities in religious law. Yosef has been accused by the Israeli and international media of inciting racial hatred. He has publicly referred to Arabs as "snakes" who could not be trusted, and has called for the annihilation of Arabs, describing them as "evil and damnable." Read more.


Return to Main Page