Yosef denied the report but is well-known as a vehement opponent of conscription, having previously claimed that the deaths of several IDF soldiers were caused by the wider population not having studied Torah sufficiently and called a fellow rabbi whose son fell in battle a heretic for supporting the draft.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri during a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset on July 16, 2026 (Flash90)Flash90
According to the Times of Israel, he and Deri “ironed out their differences” during their meeting on Thursday.
Yosef reportedly arrived at the discussion with a letter from Rabbi Moshe Maya, a member of the party’s governing Council of Torah Sages, urging him to take responsibility for the implementation of the vision set out by his father, the late chief rabbi and Shas founder, Ovadia Yosef.
Following the meeting, Shas confirmed that the two men will have a standing appointment every Friday to discuss key issues, which the Times of Israel reported indicated “a shared control over the party’s direction”.
Yosef was previously widely regarded as the party’s de facto spiritual leader, but the development marks his first formal involvement in setting leadership policy.
He also publicly endorsed Shas once again after the meeting and appeared to soften his position on conscription slightly, blessing IDF soldiers and referring to them as “messengers of the Holy One”.
"We love the soldiers, we love the entire Jewish nation,” he said.
“But it must be known that the Torah goes hand in hand with the soldiers. It is impossible without the Torah. People sometimes do not understand this.
“On this occasion, I bless all the soldiers: May the Holy One, Blessed be He, guard their comings and goings, may no harm befall them, and may they all return to their homes safe and healthy and continue to protect the people of Israel. They are messengers of the Holy One, Blessed be He, to protect the people of Israel.
“We take care of the soldiers by having Torah, because the Torah protects the soldiers and protects the entire Jewish people.”
