Prime Minister-elect Binyamin Netanyahu invited the leaders of the right-wing parties to meet with him on Sunday to begin negotiations on ministerial positions.
Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni was examining the possibility of demanding a ministerial position, with the role of housing minister a prime consideration.
However, since the long-standing policy of the UTJ party is for its ministers to refrain from accepting ministerial positions, a policy that has been in place since the days of HaGaon HaRav Shach, z’tl, the question was placed on the table of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein.
However, the Rosh Yeshivah made a decision that the party will continue its policy of its members not serving in ministerial positions, serving only as deputy ministers and heads of Knesset committees.
“In consultation with Maran Rosh HaYeshivah – the ideological decision regarding not taking ministerial positons in the government stands,” a statement from Degel HaTorah said on Motzei Shabbos.
“The party’s MKs will hold other senior positions – committee heads and deputy ministers – and will fight with all their power on the issues of the housing crisis, chinuch and other issues on the Chareidi agenda.”
Degel, which according to the internal agreement of Yahadus HaTorah, holds the right to choose the first position among the many positions that will be offered to the party – will likely demand the chairmanship of the Knesset’s Finance committee for its chairman Moshe Gafni.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Why would anyone think it changed since Rav Shach’s psak?
If they get too demanding, Netanyahu will discover two or perhaps three opposition parties that would be happy to take their place. Since they can’t threaten to make Lapid prime minister, the religious parties are stuck. Netanyahu can agree to dump them and get support from the secular nationalist parties instead. If Netanyahu offered to let Lapid be foreign minister and Gantz be defense minister, he would have a totally right-center government without any of the three religious parties, meaning Netanyahu is largely in the drivers’ sear.
Also remember than had Balad and Metertz not “shot themselves in the foot”, the Knesset would be divided 60-60.
The other parties will be happy with this
akuperman and dont forget that Hashem runs this world…
In the early days of the Medina Gedolei Olam wouldn’t allow taking any role in any government, saying that anyone who does so can be held accountable for all actions the government takes, even if they opposed those actions.