Israeli Justice System Defied

Borne on the shoulders of his followers to the roar of thousands who chanted his name in a packed stadium under a baking sun, Aryeh Deri rode a victory lap here on Wednesday. Facing indictment in an influence-peddling scandal that has shadowed the Israeli government, Deri, who heads the strictly Orthodox Shas movement of Sephardic Jews, was greeted by the party faithful as the scapegoat of a secular establishment of Ashkenazic Jews of European descent.

The rally of more than 10,000 was a show of defiance against the Israeli justice system and a call for ethnic pride among Sephardic Israelis of North African and Middle Eastern origin. Resentment among Shas followers has been running high since a report by the Israeli attorney general and state attorney on Sunday found that Deri should be indicted while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials implicated in the political scandal could not be prosecuted.

Evidence was found that Deri, a long-time political power broker, had pressured Netanyahu into appointing an attorney general who he hoped would help him gain a plea-bargain in a corruption trial. The decision not to prosecute other officials in the scandal has also been challenged by liberal Israelis.