MK (Bayit HaYehudi) Ayelet Shaked spoke with Kol Berama Radio host Moti Lavi on Sunday morning 21 Adar 5773. When asked if her party objects to entering a coalition with chareidi parties she insisted this is not the case. Shaked explained “we don’t hate the chareidim and the agreement between us and Yesh Atid is due to our joint vision regarding social and economic matters.” She tried explaining the deal with Yesh Atid is not directed against the chareidim.

“However, the opposition is not Siberia. Opposition is an important component of a democratic society. If they feel compelled to sit these, while we hope this will not be the case, for we view them as natural partners. If they feel they must sit there [in opposition] then I think the shouts of ‘gevald’ are nothing more than hypocrisy.”

Interestingly, Shaked added that while it is not discussed, before Bayit Yehudi turned to Lapid, the party tried making a deal with Shas but the effort was rejected.

Speaking on the air immediately following Shaked was Deputy Health Minister (Yahadut Hatorah) Yaakov Litzman, who felt compelled to point out “they did not make any effort to speak with me. I turned to Bennett and met with him close to a month ago. It was my first meeting with him, a secretive meeting. I can tell you that I gave him my word that I would guarantee him that he would not be betrayed. That means to say that if he was betrayed, we too would not enter the coalition.”

Regarding the share the burden issue, Litzman commented “As Yair Lapid did his military service in BaMachane, I do mine in Hamodia.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)