Sometimes, when Israelis are at odds with one another, they prefer to air their dirty laundry in public rather than let the negotiations take their natural course. Almost from the get-go, the two sides opt for brinkmanship. It is a high-risk, high-reward tactic. But despite the major benefits it can reap, it could precipitate and encourage the two parties to sever their relations for no valid reason. Brinkmanship is typical in the ultra-Orthodox community. When a crisis develops, the protagonists prefer to take their gloves off and the good-faith discussions give way to ad hominem attacks. These turbulent words breed a relationship that can only be described as a roller coaster. An inevitable schism in the morning gets healed at noon and everyone are friends again in the evening -- and vice versa. The ongoing infighting in Shas and Habayit Hayehudi has had third-party interlocutors feeling helpless as they try to avert a split. However, they still hold hope. Will Construction Minister Uri Ariel let rabbis call the shots by bolting from Habayit Hayehudi and sever his ties with Chairman Naftali Bennett? Does former Shas leader MK Eli Yishai have the necessary stamina to go it alone in the haredi world, whose electorate usually rallies behind its leaders and is unreceptive to challengers? Would Shas voters really accept the authority of an Ashkenazi Council of Torah Sages in a Yishai-Ariel would-be party- Ariel and Yishai depend on one another. If Ariel ultimately gets cold feet and opts to stay, Yishai will most likely choose to stay as well. Perhaps Yishai will prefer to hunker down at home, by starting new career. He would most likely prefer to pad his bank account than to have the dubious honor of being an underling of Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri. Deri seized the reins at Shas, despite Yishai being more qualified. But to the surprise of many, he was not magnanimous toward his adversary. This was very much unlike the Deri we have come to know. In fact, Deri made Yishai accept terms that were simply beneath Yishai. This was no way to treat someone who was placed second on the Shas candidate list. If polls are right, Deri's stewardship of Shas will result in a significantly smaller Knesset faction once elections are over. And rightly so. Deri would have had to stay on the sidelines had it not been for the Knesset's inaction when it comes to convicted criminals. Under a pending piece of legislation, any offender who has had a moral turpitude clause attached to his sentence would be barred from entering politics for 14 years. But the Knesset has dithered on the matter. If Yishai leaves, his departure will serve as yet another reason why one should not vote for Shas. But when it comes to Habayit Hayehudi and Shas, it ain't over till it's over. And even when it's over, there is always a way back.
