Rabbi Moshe Maya Says Coalition Talks With Eisenkot Should Not Be Ruled Out

Rabbi Moshe Maya, a member of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages, has said coalition negotiations with Gadi Eisenkot should not be ruled out. The position was disclosed on November 1 in a report quoting remarks he made in recent days. Eisenkot leads Yashar. Maya said: “There is no reason to rule out coalition negotiations with Eisenkot.” The reported remarks concern whether to consider negotiations. They do not announce that talks have begun, set negotiating conditions, or describe a coalition agreement. The report does not present the remarks as a formal decision by the Council of Torah Sages. The disclosure came alongside comments by Rabbi Nissim Ze’ev, one of Shas’s founders, about the party’s leadership and election campaign. In an interview on the 15:00 news bulletin, Ze’ev predicted that Aryeh Deri would remain leader. He described Deri as closely identified with Shas and argued that opposition to Deri was opposition to the party. Ze’ev also criticized the campaign’s ability to mobilize voters. In his assessment, more strictly Haredi voters had moved toward Agudat Yisrael, while right-wing voters had moved toward Itamar Ben Gvir and possibly Likud. These were Ze’ev’s assessments of the party’s position, rather than an announced leadership decision or measured account of voter movements.