There have been reports that the person trying to unite the chareidim under one umbrella has agreed to a representative of HaRav Meir Mazuz, Rosh Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim, providing that representative is not Eli Yishai, who heads the Yachad party.

According to reports, a grandson of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Yanki Kanievsky, is working to unite the chareidi parties into one list for the elections for the 21st Knesset, realizing the strength such a list could have, but to date, such a reality seems to be nothing more than a dream at best. This address all the chareidi parties, not just the major players.

This new entity would bring an end to machlokes within, and it would not just include Shas, Yahadut Hatorah and Degel Hatorah, but the Yachad party headed by the former Shas leader as well as the Bnei Torah party affiliated with Peleg Yerushalmi.

According to a report from Chadashot News correspondent Yair Shariki, this includes a representative of Rav Mazuz, and not necessarily Eli Yishai himself. On Wednesday morning, Yachad officials are quoted telling Ladaat News that if the plan moves forward, that representative would be Yishai himself.

Chadashot add it has learned that the offer includes two slots for Yachad in the first ten on the list, for Yishai and another as it is hoped achdus will make ten seats a reality, not just a dream.

In the event Shas and Yahadut Hatorah team up without Yachad, the party plans to run its own independent list to serve as a home from all those disappointed with the existing parties in the hope this time, they will receive the required push and the votes they did not receive last time, which resulted in those votes being trashed and Yachad not entering the Knesset.

When the Committee of Eight of Agudas Yisrael met earlier in the week, Yaakov Litzman addressed the Yanki Kanievsky’s initiative, commenting he and secretary of the Moetzas Gedolei Torah Rav Waltzer met with Yanki Kanievsky because Litzman wanted the representative of the Gedolei Torah to hear it directly from the source, and not from him as a quoting the source.

Rav Waltzer in turn visited the homes of the members of the council to brief them after the Committee of Eight approved in principal. They now await to hear what Shas chairman Aryeh Deri regarding the initiative. According to the report, only if Deri agrees will they then advance to speak with Yachad and Peleg Yerushalmi.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)