Justice Minister Tzipi Livni reportedly told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that if he wishes to bring the chareidim into the coalition in place of Bayit Yehudi it is fine, with the media adding she stated “I am even willing to wear a shtreimal for peace”.
In response, Housing Minister Uri Ariel stated “in Chodesh Adar the justice minister is permitted to dress up”.
So the question remains if talks have begun to bring the chareidim into the coalition for it is clear that if the coalition wishes to sign an agreement with the PA (Palestinian Authority), it will be almost impossible under current conditions for Bayit Yehudi remains a major coalition partner. Bayit Yehudi ministers continue to tell constituents “There will only be one nation between the Jordan and Mediterranean, the State of Israel”. Party officials openly oppose land concessions to the PA as well as the latest US initiative presented by Secretary Kerry.
In the interim, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week met with Shas leader Aryeh Deri, a meeting that followed recent a recent meeting between the prime minister and Ashkenazi chareidi MKs.
Livni remains tenacious to reach agreement with the PA, willing to make “painful concessions” to the PA amid mounting US pressure via Secretary of State John Kerry, who continues shuttle diplomacy trips to the region.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Jokes about Livni aside… I should hope to dearest G-d that the charedi party leaders are not honestly willing to use their numbers to support giving away our land and kicking tens if not hundreds of thousands of fellow (many if not mostly religious) Jews out of their homes all just for the chance to be in the coalition again. What a chillul Hashem it would be to show everyone that the pocketbook takes precedence over the lives of your bretheren
assurnet,
I hope you’re joking. Don’t you realize that the chareidim feel as if their lives are at stake, not just their homes and they feel as if they must fight for their (spiritual) lives and you think this is about money!?
Baruch – no I’m not joking. Why else would the current coalition members be interested in kicking out Bayit Yehudi in order to replace them with the Charedi parties? Out of some love of the Charedi world? It’s not a well kept secret that Charedi parties are viewed as a rubber stamp to whatever coalition they happen to be a part of. During the last national election there was a forum for English speakers with representatives from several of the main parties. The only charedi party to send someone was Shas and he used his entire allotted time to speak about Shas’s goals to use money for the poor. I have nothing against that per say, but essentially his entire speech was “all about the money” and specifically why it should go to the people he thinks it should instead of wherever it goes now. What he didn’t find the time to mention in his speech was G-d or the Torah. In fact the only speaker who did was Areyeh Eldad of Otzmah L’Yisrael and I doubt any religious Jew no matter what their affiliation could have heard him speak without being moved.
And besides, even if the Charedim are fighting for their “spiritual life” does that give them the right to actively support ruining other Jews’ lives in the process? To quote masechet Yoma – “Do you think your blood is redder than his?” I’m not tzioni, and I definitely don’t advocate closing down Yeshivas or cutting off funds to those who populate them, but I also don’t understand how it’s fair for the charedi world to join the call to kick faithful Jews out of their homes and abandon their communities to murderous terrorists just so that somebody else’s future in Yeshiva is secure. Please explain that one to me. However I’m hoping this is not the intent of the Charedi world and that my fears are unfounded – please let it be Hashem’s will