The interrogation under warning of Shas chairman and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri on charges of money laundering and tax evasion will have no impact on the government's stability, at least in the short term. On the other hand, it does mean that two of the most senior figures in the government are now suspected of criminal behavior. The other is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Because of their complexity, the investigations into Netanyahu and Deri are expected to last months, if not longer. It is quite conceivable that both will enter the next election cycle under a cloud of suspicion.

Deri and his wife, Yaffa, will be questioned again next week, after spending 11 hours in interrogation by the National Fraud Investigation Unit on May 29. They are suspected of taking money donated to a nongovernmental organization headed by Yaffa for personal use, such as the purchase of real estate. Police are looking into whether some of the checks given as donations were cashed by moneychangers.

As strange as it may seem, neither Netanyahu nor Deri are expected to suffer at the polls because of the investigations. They will both claim to be victims of a political witch hunt — Netanyahu for his right-wing positions, and Deri because he is Mizrahi (of Middle Eastern origin). In both cases, the status could actually increase their support among certain sectors of the population.