Leaders of Yahadut Hatorah on Sunday, 3 Teves 5773 met in the party’s Ohr Yehuda campaign headquarters to officially launch their election campaign and to discuss election issues. Rav Yisrael Eichler explained that if they do not manage to get seven seats in the election they will not be asked to join the coalition and that would place the chareidi party in the opposition.

Eichler painted an ominous picture, stating “Every mother knows that issue of their son’s draft and the government’s interference in chinuch is hanging over her home.”

Eichler feels if Yahadut Hatorah does not get seven or more seats, it will be their failure and they simply will not have the power as part of the government coalition to fight on behalf of the chareidi tzibur regarding these fundamental issues. He reiterated that the serious issues facing the tzibur at large demand they run a successful election campaign towards earning at least seven seats towards inclusion in the next coalition government.

Interestingly, many analysts feel that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will turn to the chareidim before turning to the right-wing Bayit HaLeumi Party for a number of reasons. For one thing, there is a personality issue between Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett and the prime minister, as the former is a past bureau chief of Netanyahu’s and the two had a falling out. Secondly, having the chareidim on board gives Mr. Netanyahu more flexibility on issues of resuming the political process with the PA (Palestinian Authority) and bringing centrist parties on board in the coalition as well. Alternatively, the chareidim will complicate efforts to bring any party on board that insists on pushing for a chareidi draft, a deal breaker for Yahadut Hatorah and Shas.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)