The thing is, Israeli politicians do go to Ovadia Yosef for advice and blessings on their various endeavors.

One of these was Ariel Sharon. He wanted approval for the Gush Katif evacuation.

Yosef said no, by no means.

As some of you may recall, things went ahead in Gush Katif. Because Ovadia Yosef is not actually the puppet-master, he’s an elderly rabbi with a lot of political access.

Something to bear in mind as some people get carried away with fantasies about his influence.