Lion’s-Eye View

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri occupies a rarified seat in Israel’s government, a seat on the small security cabinet. That position affords him a bird’s-eye view of Israel’s Operation Am K’lavi on Iran last month, as well as the American participation in the attacks that disabled the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program.

Much more will be written about what happened in those dramatic hours in the command bunker, when Israeli Air Force planes penetrated Iranian airspace and the country’s leadership closely monitored their flight. No doubt that after all the details are fully revealed, we will be struck by the magnitude of the wonders that the Creator in His mercy showered upon us that long and tense night.

Aryeh Deri is no longer a member of the regular cabinet. He is instead an integral part of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s small coterie of close advisors and decision-makers. Netanyahu, strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, and Deri operate as one unit, coordinated down to the last detail. Deri provides experience and outside-the-box thinking, Dermer brings strategic vision and savvy for wangling influence in the White House, and Netanyahu brings everything together into a decision. Together, they are steering Israel through its most dramatic moments in recent decades.

Weeks after the attack, as the White House rolls out the red carpet for Netanyahu’s visit this week, the Shas chairman sat down for a comprehensive interview with Mishpacha. He talks about the prospects of peace with Syria, Israel’s bottom line in any deal on Gaza… and reveals what a life-and-death dilemma looks like from the inside.