Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the spiritual leader of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Shas Party, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening, saying he “won’t repent,” while appearing to back the premier’s political rival, Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot.
The rare remarks suggested that Shas could potentially be open to joining a government led by Eisenkot following the upcoming elections, raising questions over the longstanding haredi alliance with Netanyahu’s bloc.
“We are in a secular country… There are those whom I don’t believe will repent,” Yosef said in a filmed speech.
“There’s no chance [Netanyahu] will repent. Eisenkot might repent,” he added.
Shas has been a partner in Netanyahu’s bloc for decades, with the prime minister’s ruling Likud party relying on the haredi parties – Shas and United Torah Judaism – as key coalition partners.
הרב יצחק יוסף, מנהיגה הרוחני של ש”ס: “אין סיכוי שנתניהו יחזור בתשובה – איזנקוט אולי כן”@MHlpryn pic.twitter.com/fx7voScO9x
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) July 11, 2026
Recently, Eisenkot’s Yashar Party has become the largest party in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu in polls ahead of elections set to take place no later than October 27.
Yosef’s office denied claims, despite report that he prefers Eisenkot for PM
On Sunday, Yosef had reportedly also said behind closed doors that he was leaning toward breaking up the Netanyahu bloc, together with the United Torah Judaism Party, and that Eisenkot was the preferred candidate for prime minister, according to a Sunday Army Radio report.
“It is possible that we will go with Eisenkot in the upcoming election; I hope United Torah Judaism joins this move,” the report quoted the party’s spiritual leader as saying.
The report added that Yosef said: “Eisenkot is a good man, a warm-hearted Jew. He loves Torah scholars. His grandmother voted for Shas and wanted him to become a rabbi. That did not happen, but he is someone we can rely on.”
“Netanyahu deceived us over the draft law and on other matters. You cannot rely on him; he is a liar.”
In May, the spiritual leader of the United Torah Judaism faction Degel Hatorah, Rabbi Dov Lando, made similar remarks regarding the premier, in which he stated that “We no longer have any trust in Netanyahu,” sparking a coalition crisis.
Yosef’s reported statements come amid recent tensions with Netanyahu and his coalition over stalled advancements with legislation the haredi parties have been pushing for, which critics argue encourage draft evasion even amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.
There have also been numerous reports of deals between the haredi parties and Netanyahu ahead of the Knesset’s upcoming dissolution at the end of this week, while the coalition has been pushing ahead with its legislative blitz.
In response to the report, Eisenkot said that he would “not compromise on the draft law, even if it means going to another election,” while speaking to Army Radio on Sunday.
Yosef’s office denied to The Jerusalem Post that he made the remarks behind closed doors.
“The content of this morning’s report regarding any kind of support [for a particular candidate or political move] is completely denied,” Yosef’s office stated.
Eisenkot could see Shas as a partner
The report also comes after Eisenkot had expressed support for Shas last week in a Thursday interview with the haredi Kikar Hashabbat news outlet, noting that he could see them as a partner.
“First, a large part of Shas voters serve in the army, and I saw them as chief of staff. Because of that, I make a distinction. I also see Shas as a party that serves, that is integrated, and that is supposed to bring a message to life in the State of Israel,” Eisenkot said.
“I see Shas as a partner, under certain conditions,” he added, noting that he had three core principles.
“Shas is a party that is supposed to bring a message, and I say this as the son of a mother who voted Shas for 30 years.”
“I know Shas voters, I meet them, and I grew up with some of them,” he added.
Eisenkot has spoken in the past on a more lenient approach to drafting haredim, which has received criticism from party leaders in the opposition bloc.
His plan includes granting exemptions to 3% of each annual haredi cohort to study Torah, similar to exemptions given to outstanding musicians and athletes.
Other party leaders in the opposition bloc have vowed not to sit in a government with the haredi parties or to allow any exemptions for haredi draft evaders.
