Senior Likud coalition negotiator MK Gideon Saar announced on Monday that Likud is willing to include a clause in the coalition agreement undertaking not to increase the minimum threshold to enter Knesset as is being requested by Yahadut HaTorah’s MK Yaakov Litzman. Litzman is well-aware that raising the minimum threshold to enter Knesset would not make Yahadut HaTorah’s life easier.
Realizing there is a growing consensus regarding a reform in the system of government, which the larger parties hope will include an increase in the minimum voter threshold to enter Knesset, a move that would eliminate many of the smaller parties, Litzman is acting to block the threshold increase.
According to reports, Litzman has been adamant in this particular demand during the last weeks of negotiations, backed by Ichud HaLeumi, which barely scraped by the minimum threshold in this election.
Litzman welcomed the announcement, adding that while he has already received assurances on the matter, the public statement adds to the integrity of Likud’s position.
Kadima MK Yochanan Plesner responded angrily, stating that once again it is evident that statements committing to election reform by Netanyahu are not as honorable as they appear.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
If they raise the minimum threshold, that might actually force achdus amongst the religious parties C’V. Who wants to see that happen?
I agree absolutely with #1. If the religious parties have achdus, moshiach might come. And he might not like Litzman nor Gafne. And what if Moshiach is a sefardi and takes Deri as his Prime Minister. Oh My.
i agree with 1 & 2 but and theres a big BUT Yahadut Hatorah cant even sit together with itself it always breaks up to add shas to that equation will make it all the more unstable furthermore R Shach made Shas and i think he had the foresight not to include it in Yahadut Hatorah
Achdus will follow — not precede — the coming of Moshiach. Until then, any artificial attempt to force political achdus where there is no hashkofic achdus is really just a way of bringing home the outside world’s sheker.
They would have to raise the threshold to at least 5% before they could even threaten them, and the response would be to run as a joint lst with Shas, which might be a good idea regardless.
If they switched to single-member constituencies, especially with a majority requirement, it would largely result in a two party system and it would largely eliminate the religious parties from politics, but would create a situation similar to the United States where all political parties are required to be religious parties for fear of driving religious votes to their opponent. Instead of small religious parties blackmailing secular parties, you would have a large number of religious votes (most of whom currently vote for secular parties) blackmailing virtually all members of parliament.
There should be no such thing as religious parties.
We are hated and feared because of it.
Imagine if there would be a Jewish party in the USA running against the big parties. We would be every talk show’s target and have much less influence than the little influence we have now in the US.
If there would be no religious parties in Israel, being that 20 to 30 percent of the country is religious, the big parties would be falling over each other with legislation favorable to such a large strongly identifiable population segment.
Think about it !