MK Moshe Gafne, chairman of the Degel Hatorah party, told the media that he feels Eli Yishai and his Yachad party are going to cause significant damage to the chareidim as he will not achieve sufficient votes to get into Knesset, and those votes will be lost, at the expense of additional seats for the chareidim.

Speaking with BeChadrei Chareidim, Gafne explained that he will speak to Yishai and he is hopeful that he will be able to persuade him to drop out of the election race. “It is certain that according to all odds, it would appear he does not pass the minimum threshold and does damage,” Gafne explains.

Gafne was asked to detail if the unity agreement with Agudas Yisrael is a real agreement, or just a ticket to get into Knesset and then they will be independent of one another, as indicated in the daily HaMevaser. He responded, “This is no longer referred to as a technical agreement,” in his words, adding “a technical bloc occurs in one of two situations; when there is no connection between the parties that united, as is done for technical reasons from the outset.

“The second reason for a technical bloc, is when the two parties do not agree ideologically, and for technical reasons, they unite. Here too, Degel Hatorah and Agudas Yisrael throughout the years are together ideologically, and HaMevaser erred with its headline, and there fore the following day, it stopped writing such headlines.”

Gafne was then asked if he will turn to the Sephardim to vote for Yahadut Hatorah as he did in the last elections, or perhaps, he will leave those votes for Shas, which according to some of the polls, the latter will not pass the minimum threshold.

“We turn to everyone” explained Gafne, adding, “At no time there will not be a situation in which we turn to or do not turn to everyone. Anyone who feels voting for us is the correct thing, and we hope there will be many, should vote for us.”

Gafne refused to address questions as to what will occur when there are various opinions between the factions regarding a new draft law. “We are heading to elections, elections in which we hope to receive additional seats and after the elections, we will see the outcome, and I hope we will be able to pass a new draft law.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)