it goes on to quote Ovadiah Yosef, the spiritual leader of Shas (which generally receives about 9% of the popular vote in Israeli elections):-
Could it be that the senators who so rightfully condemn the glorification of violence when it issues from an obscure Palestinian official are simply unaware of the multiple proclamations of such a prominent figure as Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Shas party (a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition) and a former Chief Rabbi of Israel's Sephardi Jewish community? "It is forbidden to be merciful to
," Yosef was quoted as saying in 2001, "You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable."