Following the inauguration of the 22nd Knesset that took place on Thursday, one photo stood out from among the myriad that were taken during the ceremony. After the ceremonial photo of the party leaders all standing together, Blue and White party head MK Benny Gantz was captured talking with UTJ party head Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman.
Previously, Gantz had stated that he strives to create a unity government with the Likud but without the Charedi parties. Gantz had referred to the Charedi MKs as extortionists. Litzman for his part had previously referred to Gantz on several occasions as a man without principals and has said outright that he would refuse to sit with him in a coalition.
The current political fiasco that Israel is facing is certainly making for strange bedfellows. As Litzman himself has signed on to be part of a right-wing bloc and given his party’s allegiance to Netanyahu, it appeared strange to numerous media outlets that the two would be photographed together after having spent a few minutes talking to one another.
Litzman’s office issued a statement that claimed the conversation was simply a polite one and nothing more. The two party leaders did not speak about the burning political questions that the county is facing.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
“Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.”
Horse trading is more moral
Rabbi Litzman’s loyalty is to the Torah and the Torah alone – not Netanyahu, and not a right wing bloc. He will do whatever he and the Gedolim think will protect and further the Torah. If he thinks that the current situation is harmful to Torah and its observance, and he can work something out with Gantz that will protect Torah observance, he could switch, or at least drop participation in the Likud bloc. There is no right-wing or left-wing in the Torah, particularly when it comes to secular politics. Remember that Netanyahu and most of Likud are not even shomer Shabbos, much less Chareidi.
For the religious parties, the Gedolim are in charge, not the Likud leadership.