One cannot ignore the irony that the party calling itself Bayit HaYehudi, the Jewish Home, is the party that is already imploding due to internal feuding. The party is all of three seats, yet it faces a major dilemma before the coalition is formed. The party represents the remnants of other parties, including the once-proud Mafdal (National Religious Party), but it only managed to muster three seats, barely making the minimum threshold hurdle to enter Knesset.

Party members convened on Monday in the hope of resolving differences, but the effort was unsuccessful. Party leader Dr. Daniel Hershkowitz is being called upon by his colleagues in Knesset, veteran MK Zevulun Orlev and first-time MK Uri Orbach to resign as a MK when he becomes a cabinet minister, thereby clearing the way for number four on the list, Nissan Slomianski to enter the 18th Knesset. Such a move is not at all a precedent, used in the past by many to permit additional people who failed to make the cut off to enter Knesset. The problem here is that Hershkowitz is unwilling to comply with their demand.

Seeking to compel him to act, Orlev and Orbach are threatening to decide that in his place, Slomianski will receive the party’s only cabinet appointment. Hershkowitz on the other hand insists that he was voted in as party head and as such, they cannot just decide to instruct him to resign as MK or other related decisions.

Another ‘solution’ is that Hershkowitz resign from Knesset in a year, permitting Slomianski to enter in a rotation agreement.

Hershkowitz is not showing any willingness to accept any of the alternatives and promises if he is not appointed as a minister, he will “act like the opposition”.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)