The arrival of MKs Moshe Gafne, Uri Maklev and Yaakov Asher at the home of Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita on Sunday morning 8 Kislev may signal an imminent decision regarding elections and committing to back Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the premiership bid. It is believed the meeting surroundings mounting pressure from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to obtain a guarantee from chareidi parties to recommend him for the presidential mandate to the president following elections.
The MKs met with Rav Shteinman about two weeks ago, after which they reported receiving a green light to probe towards determining what the situation is regarding elections and possible deal-making.
Since that first meeting the Chairman of the Agudas Yisrael faction MK Yaakov Litzman also met with the prime minister and he in turn updated a number of admorim including the Belzer Rebbe Shlita.
During the recent chareidi leadership kenos in the Nir Etzion hotel, Litzman, Gafne and Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri compared notes regarding contact with the prime minister and elections.
Last week Litzman met with the Belzer, Sanzer, Boyaner, Bialer, and Vishnitzer Rebbes Shlita and updated them, seeking to hear what their positions are. From the preliminary information released, it appears Agudas Yisrael may be willing to sign a commitment regarding the presidential mandate and Netanyahu but Degel Hatorah is still waiting to hear what Rav Shteinman feels on the matter, hence the meeting today.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
4 Responses
1. Based on polls, an election will not change anything (some factions will grow, some will shrink, but the ideological breakdown will be the same). The biggest possible change would be in the two small Palestinian-nationalist parties fall below the threshold, or if any minor party splits.
2. Without a compromise on conscription (eliminating penal sanctions, jail or fines, for refusing to serve in the army) no hareidi party can join the government. If the Netanyahu-Bennett-Lieberman block would make such a concession, they could dump Lapid and recruit the hareidim as it is, without rushing elections.
#1
Even if that was only major issue,Netanyahu prefers to receive another mandate first
The past year and half should have been an monumental lesson
to all those who wondered how come the charedim felt the need to be in the gov’t
Maran HaRav Shteinman will delicately weigh all of these factors, plus much more that are highly classified but he is privy to and kept informed of
I couldn’t disagree with Mr. Kupperman more. All the polls show a drop in support for Yair Lapid and Ivette Liberman. A weakening of these two parties, combined with the security being the election issue, not the economy, will allow for a return to business as usual. Likud running the government, with the left in the opposition and the Hareidim in the government. As long as the Arabs are running amok the pressure is off the Hareidim. The Hareidim should use the time in the government to figure out a way of going forward where they take responsibility for the country, so more people will turn to keeping Torah and Mitzvohs and set up a situation where people believe it’s them and us.
I think bibi wants elections hes gaining a few seats