Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennet spoke with HaRav Chaim Druckman in order to pave their way back to the Bayit Yehudi party and unite the religious right. Last Friday, the two called the rabbi separately and spoke to him about a possible merger of the parties or as a technical block.

Shaked raised the issue of places on the party lineup, and expressed her desire to head the joint party, but Rabbi Druckman made it clear that such a situation is impossible. For the time being, Shaked being the party leader is being vetoed, so she must examine the possibilities and will decide in the next few days on her path.

Rabbi Druckman released a video on Sunday with Rabbi Rafi Peretz calling on him “to withdraw your forces as the head of Bayit Yehudi and to ensure the general unification of all the forces and to continue to lead religious Zionism so that it fulfills its great purpose in the reality of the State of Israel”.

Meanwhile, The chairman of the URWP (United Right-Wing Parties), Rabbi Rafi Peretz, has sent a message to former party leaders MKs Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked, who broke away to form the New Right party. The New Right party failed to meet the minimum election threshold to enter Knesset in the last election.

A message was sent to Shaked and Bennet on behalf of Bayit Yehudi, informing them if they wish to return, the door remains open and they would be placed in the second and third slots, behind Peretz. This means the head of the Ichud Leumi faction of the party, MK Betzalel Smotrich, who is currently in the second slot, would be pushed to the fourth position in the lineup.

It is important to point out the message was sent to the two in the party’s name without prior consultation with Smotrich. Smotrich however has been calling for “all parties to the right of the Likud” to unite ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, which will take place on Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

Rabbi Peretz explains, “I don’t hold a grudge against anyone, and under the Bayit Yehudi there is room for everyone in the entire spectrum of religious Zionism”.

Shaked said she has been receiving messages and offers from persons in Bayit Yehudi on a daily basis and she will make her announcement when she reaches a decision regarding what to do. Bennet has not responded.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)