The Shas party accused the Supreme Court of undermining the will of the voters following the verdict disqualifying party chairman Aryeh Deri from serving as a minister Wednesday afternoon.

"A tragedy has befallen Israel. The Supreme Court, which claims to take care of minorities, today threw away the voices and votes of 400,000 voters of the Shas movement, which represents the underprivileged in Israel, who went to the polls only two months ago. Shas voters went to the polls knowing everything about Shas chairman Minister Aryeh Deri. The 400,000 voters, 11 seats, knew about the deal with Deri and voted for Shas led by Aryeh Deri. Today the court ruled that the elections are meaningless. The court's decision is political and tainted," the party said in a statement.

"The scandalous disqualification of the chairman of Shas from the position of minister is not only a personal injury to Deri but a severe injury to all Shas voters and its supporters. Wide sections of Israeli society today feel excluded by the court.

"The entire Shas movement is shocked by the arbitrary and unprecedented decision of the Supreme Court, contrary to law and justice, and sees it as a severe violation of the right to vote and be elected, which is the lifeblood of democracy. Shas is studying this painful decision and will decide on its next steps in accordance with the guidance of the Council of Torah Sages."... Read More: Arutz-7