Officials in the Otzma Yehudit party were tense on Wednesday, directing criticism at the leader of the Bayit Yehudi party, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, accusing him of breaking the agreement between the parties signed in the last election race in April.

Otzma Yehudit officials feel Bayit Yehudi is not keeping the agreement they signed because the agreement stipulated that if any party members are appointed to cabinet posts, those persons would resign from Knesset under the Norwegian Law and this would permit the next persons on the list to enter as MKs, namely Otzma Yehudit’s Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Otzma officials during recent days have made contact with Bayit Yehudi leaders, Rav Peretz and the number two man, MK Betzalel Smotrich as the two have bene appointed to the cabinet by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Otzma Yehudit explains their inquiries have gone unanswered.

It appears that Peretz is probing the legality of implementing the Norwegian Law during a transition government and this is why he and Smotrich have not resigned to permit Ben-Gvir to enter Knesset.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)