Minister of Senior Citizen Affairs (Bayit Yehudi) Uri Orbach spoke to Galei Yisrael Radio on Tuesday morning 10 Kislev, addressing the imminent fall of the current coalition government and the in-party fighting in Bayit Yehudi. Orbach says he is not jubilant over the likely fall of the coalition but he accepts the political realities that must be addressed and he acknowledges elections appear imminent.

Orbach spoke of a number of things in the 14 minutes interview with Kalman Lipskind, including the threat of a split in Bayit Yehudi with the Ichud Leumi (Tekuma) faction members, which include Housing Minister Uri Ariel, Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, Orit Struk and Zevulun Kalfa.

Orbach, who is credited with bringing Naftali Bennett to power and orchestrating the successful overthrow of the old National Religious Party leadership feels his party should not give into Ariel’s demands to secure positions for all faction members on his list as was done in the past elections. Orbach feels that they must become contenders and run for their positions and the voters will assign their place on the lineup like the others, expressing a willingness to secure the second slot, after Bennett, for one of the members. That slot today is held by Ariel.

Orbach hopes they will not break away but is unwilling to accept a situation in which Moti Yogev and Yoni Chetboun must contend for a slot while Ichud Leumi faction members will not have too. Orbach however is unwilling to acquiesce and appears determined to oppose Ariel’s demands, even at the expense of breaking up the party. “We cannot get emotional over these threats. We can reach agreement but not one that involves extortion”.

On the other side, Orbach was also an architect of the new reality in Bayit Yehudi, one that give Bennett additional authority. The party’s voters agreed to permit Bennett to assign two of every ten slots in the lineup as he wishes and those slots will not be subject to the membership voting body. Hence, Orbach is comfortable knowing at worst he will be in the third position if Ichud Leumi is given the second slot and at best, he will hold the number two position.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)