Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Thursday for a toning down of the campaign battle between the immigrants-rights Yisrael Ba’Aliyah Party and the fervently Orthodox Shas Party. In its campaign ads, Yisrael Ba’Aliyah has been urging that it take over the Interior Ministry after the elections, saying Shas has been insensitive to immigrant needs during its tenure at the ministry’s helm. Shas has countered that Yisrael Ba’Aliyah wants control over the ministry so that “shops that sell pork won’t be closed” and so “escort girls” and others will have an easier time entering Israel illegally.
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