Leaders of the chareidi factions in Knesset, Moshe Gafne, Yaakov Litzman and Aryeh Deri met on Monday morning, April 15, 2019, with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as President Reuven Rivlin has begun meeting with party leaders, who have to recommend who should receive the presidential mandate to form the next coalition government. The meeting took place in the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Jerusalem.

The chareidi leaders declared during their election campaigns that they would be recommending the presidential mandate be given to PM Netanyahu. That said, Mr. Netanyahu has to find a formula to lessen the harshness of the draft law as the chareidim view it, for that is what led to dissolving the Knesset and heading to national elections. The prime minister is aware that a modified draft law must meet the criteria of other coalition parties as well as a challenge to the High Court of Justice.

There is also the matter of the new Conversion Law that Deri is pushing, with the chareidi parties expressing tenacious opposition to the recommendations of the government-appointment committee headed by former Likud minister, Moshe Nissim. Yisrael Beitenu party leader Avigdor Lieberman remains an adamant opponent of Deri’s Conversion Law.

At the end of 2018, the state requested a six-month extension on legislating a new Conversion Law from the High Court of Justice based on the recommendations of the Nissim Committee. In addition, three Rishon L’Tzions spoke out in uncertain terms against the state committee for giyur and its recommendations.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)