Yashar! party demands removal of Shas campaign video featuring a soldier: "It is outrageous, the party promotes draft evasion"

The Yashar! party, led by Gadi Eizenkot, sent a warning letter this morning, Sunday, to the Shas party and Aryeh Deri, demanding the removal by 11:00 today of a propaganda video titled "A Father's Life," which it claims makes illegal use of IDF soldiers and the party's ballot slip.

The video, according to Yashar!, explicitly creates the impression that the IDF identifies with the Shas party — this while Shas promotes draft evasion and the party chairman, Deri, has stated that he is proud of his family members who do not serve.

The letter claims that this is a propaganda video that violates the Elections Law (Propaganda Methods), among other things due to the use of IDF soldiers and the creation of the impression that the IDF identifies with the Shas party. The video even explicitly claims that "over 30,000 soldiers and career officers voted for the Shas party in the last elections according to official data."

Yashar! emphasizes that the use of IDF soldiers in election propaganda is particularly outrageous in light of Shas's policy throughout the three years of the war. The letter notes that the party worked to promote a draft evasion law and to prioritize those who chose not to serve, while those who serve bear the burden of the war.

"It is impossible to promote draft evasion at the expense of those who serve, to take pride in those who do not serve, and then use IDF soldiers as a backdrop for election propaganda," Yashar! criticizes.

The letter further claims that the video includes a ballot slip with the list's letters, contrary to the provisions of Section 7 of the Propaganda Law, which prohibits the use of party letters during the period before 42 days prior to the elections.