[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
As Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi may be the senior partners in a new coalition, it appears they are bothered somewhat with the anti-chareidi image they have earned following the elections.
Both Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett during the week contacted Yahadut Hatorah officials numerous times, seeking to bring the Ashkenazi chareidi party into the coalition. The offer however is only good for Yahadut Hatorah, not Shas. This would compel Yahadut Hatorah to break its agreement with Shas.
Interestingly, while Bennett and Lapid have accused Likud/Beitenu of trying to separate them, they are trying to do the exact same thing among the chareidi parties.
Yahadut Hatorah rejected the probes, which also came from Likud/Beitenu, explaining they have an agreement with Shas so it is a non-starter. This was confirmed in an interview on Thursday morning 25 Adar 5773 on Kol Berama Radio in interviews with Yehoshua Pollack and Yehudi Avidan. Bayit Yehudi officials however deny making any such offer.
See Bennett’s special appeal to the chareidi tzibur in which he categorically rejects any and all reports that his party is trying to destroy the Torah world:
YWN-ISRAEL spoke with a long time political analyst who preferred anonymity who explained “In Israel, if given 28 days to assemble a coalition it will be accomplished at the end of day 28 minus five minutes.” In this case, the clock runs out next Shabbos after the end of the 14 day extension mandate, 5 Nissan 5773, which in reality means at least motzei Shabbos.
The veteran analyst added that Paragraph 15 to the Elections Law states that “special elections” will be held if no government if presented within the time limit. If the Knesset decides not to dissolve itself, then the situation may mimic the elections in 2001, also “special elections” only for prime minister.
Without a doubt the legal experts are studying the situation. Analysts explain that the members of the 19th Knesset may not wish to risk not being reelected and they may opt for special elections for prime minister instead of another general election. That means they will not vote to “dissolve Knesset” but just have elections for prime minister.
This of course is only relevant if a coalition is not announced by the deadline, motzei Shabbos 5 Nissan 5773.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
This article is factually wrong. The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in the kenneset or the leader who gets the votes of at least 61 MKs. There are no direct elections for PM.
he categorically rejects any and all reports that his party is trying to destroy the Torah world,
He only wants them to agree on certain issues so he can say they destroyed themself, very smart,
The question is, will the charedim also moderate their attacks on Bennett and Lapid, or will they continue to demonize them as they did during the campaign, and as the Republicans have been doing to Obama for four years plus. It takes two sides to compromise.
1. If the government goes ahead with the plan to start arresting yeshiva students who refuse to go to the army, a coalition involving either hareidim party and the nationalist parties is not reasonable.
2. Bayit Yehudi is worried. By having kicked the hareidim out of the “right”, they will end up giving a rebirth to the previous moribund left.
3. Israel abolished the system of direct election of the Prime Minister since it ended up in a prime minister who wasn’t in control of the kenesset. In a parliamentary system, that is a fiasco.
Well charliehall.
The Chareidim are not “demonizing” Bennet.
They are simply stating his true views.
You see the Gedolei Yisfroel have different values and different ideas then Bennet.
They feel that his ideas and values are not in accordance with Torah.
Period