Journalist Yifat Erlich, one of the new promising personalities who joined the Bayit Yehudi list, receiving the third slot which was reserved for a woman, has dropped off the list and will not be making a bid to enter the 21st Knesset.

Erlich was among the outspoken opponents to Bayit Yehudi reaching agreement with Otzma Yehudit, an agreement which was ratified by the party’s leadership body on Wednesday night.

She met with party leader Rabbi Rafi Peretz on Thursday morning, and they reached an agreement by which she was dropping out of the race.

Erlich spoke out on Wednesday as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continued pressuring Bayit Yehudi to unite the right-wing, stating, “Netanyahu can promise a lot of promises, we are happy with his promises, and we will be happy to be part of the coalition that he may establish, but we ask him to let us run our party. All those who love the Land of Israel are also asked to bear the price of the great need for unity.”

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, she added, “We all say ‘no’ to connecting with any constellation possible involving Otzma Yehudit, and ‘yes’ to a deal with Ichud Leumi and Eli Yishai.”

“After examining the surveys presented to the public in depth, these are biased and arranged surveys that do not reflect the reality on the ground at all. Unfortunately, surveys are used to manipulate the public, and they do not hesitate in any means including spins and constant telephone harassment in order to frighten, paralyze and pressure. A false survey will go away, “Erlich attacked.

It appears her stern viewpoint has created a rift between her and Peretz, and she was moved to a non-realistic place on the party lineup.

The Srugim dati leumi website quotes an unnamed party source explaining, “Why should someone who is not appropriate be on the list? Why do we need another MK of Likud among our ranks?”

However, the official party press release responding to her decision to bow out of the race stated, “Yifat Erlich, candidate number three on the Bayit Yehudi list, reached an understanding, a mutual understanding with the chairman of the party, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, that she will resign from the list. In light of this, the Bayit Yehudi’s public committee will convene today and decide on the woman to fill the slot”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)