BREAKING NEWS

Former Shas MK David Glass, onetime confidante of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, dies

Former National Religious Party MK David Glass, who was one of Israel's most powerful people during Shas's peak, died Saturday following problems with his gall bladder.
Glass, 77, served in the ninth Knesset from 1977 to 1981 and chaired the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. He was elected after serving as director-general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
He left the NRP when it moved Rightward and joined Labor in 1984, only to exit the party years later and become a senior figure in Shas. Glass was late Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's lawyer and confidant and a regular member of the party's coalition negotiating teams.
Glass was known for having a moderating influence on Shas. He was one of the signatories on the Geneva Initiative and was involved in other diplomatic initiatives.
Yosef wrote fondly about Glass in his will, calling him a dear friend.