Daily Briefing June 9: Day 612 – Will Shas bring down the coalition?

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Political correspondent Sam Sokol and archaeology reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

As Shas party leader Aryeh Deri threatens to lead his party out of the coalition, Sokol discusses the pressure being placed on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the ultra-Orthodox parties to wrangle Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein and the law his committee is working on regarding Haredi army enlistment.

This conversation can be viewed here:

There is intense anger in the ultra-Orthodox world over the issue, says Sokol, who also notes an act of arson in a Shas-connected synagogue on Sunday.

Sokol reports that a political insider told him there’s a relatively low chance of these pressures leading to new elections. Even if the coalition is dissolved, there would still be up to five months for it to continue functioning and for the coalition parties to figure out how to buy more time.

Tercatin discusses two sets of findings. A pioneering new algorithm looks at the layers of oral traditions and writers of the Bible, as well as its editors. The algorithm helps discern which words are used most often, creating new methods of analyzing ancient writings and answering questions about the history they present.

She also looks at a radiocarbon dating study being used to examine the Dead Sea Scrolls, helping to further determine when they were written and whether the scrolls are first editions or early copies.

Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Shas said planning to back Knesset dissolution over stymied draft-exemption bill

Shas spiritual leader: Edelstein’s soul is an abomination, shame he came to Israel

Haredi parties maintain pressure on PM after he claims ‘significant progress’ in talks

Outrage after arson attack on Jerusalem synagogue of top Shas party rabbi

Who wrote the Bible? A pioneering new algorithm may shatter scholarly certitude

New study revolutionizes Dead Sea Scrolls dating, might rewrite Israel’s history

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves and video edited by Thomas Girsch.

Check out yesterday’s episode here: