Most feel that legislation to set new restrictions for one wishing to serve as Prime Minister will not gain sufficient support. Nevertheless, MK Yaakov Litzman appears determined to move ahead with his bill that stipulates one wishing to become Prime Minister must have an academic degree of significant years of IDF service, aware of the fact senior officials acquire leadership skills through their service.

Litzman realizes that if his bill were to be pass into law he too would be disqualified from serving as Prime Minister due to lacking an academic degree, as would be the case regarding most chareidim. However, he is fine with this, pointing out that he feels this is an acceptable minimal norm for one wishing to serve as Prime Minister.

The buzz in Knesset is that Litzman lacks the support to pass the bill into law, even among chareidi lawmakers and perhaps, the bill is nothing more than a strong message to Yair Lapid, that the chareidim may not sit in a coalition headed by him, with the latter being possible as per recent elections polls.

Litzman remains the only MK who will not converse with Lapid, other than matters of official business that leave him without an alternative. Litzman wishes to send the message to Lapid, that he does not view him as being a ball teshuvah vis-à-vis the chareidi tzibur, insisting in essence, Lapid has not changed and is still an enemy of the chareidim.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)