Shas said to back Karhi media overhaul in exchange for kosher certification bill

Ultra-Orthodox Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri has agreed to support Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial broadcast media overhaul in exchange for the coalition advancing legislation reversing the previous government’s kosher certification reform, according to Hebrew media reports.

The kosher bill, which has already passed its first reading, would restore the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive control over kosher certification by scrapping reforms introduced by former religious services minister Matan Kahana, which opened the certification market to competition.

The bill passed its first reading in the Knesset in January and was split into separate bills earlier this month to accelerate its passage, a move that nearly failed due to opposition from the Haredi parties. It requires two more plenum votes before it can become law.

Haredi parties have been boycotting coalition legislation in protest of the government’s failure to pass a bill enshrining blanket exemptions from military service for yeshiva students. In an effort to secure their support for key coalition legislation, including Karhi’s media bill, the government is now advancing a series of Haredi priorities, including a quasi-constitutional Basic Law elevating Torah study to a fundamental state value, and a temporary measure freezing the arrest of Haredi draft evaders.