Channel 14 commentator Dr. Avishai Ben Chaim said Wednesday that the change bloc's outreach to the chareidi parties reflects the privileges of the Israeli establishment, which he calls "First Israel," and he called for a national unity government.
Writing on X, Ben Chaim drew on his well-known theory of "First Israel" and "Second Israel." In that framework, "First Israel" is a largely Ashkenazi, center-left cultural, political and legal hegemony, while "Second Israel" is a largely Mizrachi, traditional public that leans toward national values.
"The privileges of First Israel and the suppression and blocking of the Second, this is not an event from the 1950s. This is an event from right now," Ben Chaim wrote. "Think of these Knesset elections and the achievement of First Israel as a running race. How much help did First Israel receive from a system that literally worked for it, and how the system put a backpack of stones on the back of Second Israel."
He offered what he called "one example out of eight." "A dramatic, historic political event occurred: the hegemony succeeded in breaking up the right-wing bloc and moving the chareidim to its side," he wrote. "How? Thanks to its great talent? No. Thanks to its privileges."
According to Ben Chaim, the chareidi parties believe that only the change bloc can deliver a draft exemption law and an end to the arrests of yeshiva students who do not report for service, "because the court system works for the left and the hegemony."
"The hegemony is not aware of its hegemony," he wrote. "Not of its privileges and not of the suppression of Mizrachim in Israel. Today, not in the 1950s. It seems natural to them that the bus is empty for them. They do not understand at all that the Mizrachim who were supposed to board were blocked on the way."
"We need to fix this," Ben Chaim concluded, calling for an end to the boycott of the right, at least in politics, and for a unity government.
His remarks come as the change bloc, led by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, holds talks with the chareidi parties and the Arab parties on forming a government, while Likud pushes for a national unity government. No chareidi party has agreed to join a change bloc coalition, and United Torah Judaism has said it will not vote to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana before a new government is formed.
Ben Chaim, who holds a doctorate in Jewish thought, is a longtime commentator on chareidi affairs and the author of "Second Israel." His theory has drawn both wide popularity and sharp criticism, with critics arguing it deepens divisions in Israeli society. He has said his aim is reconciliation between the two Israels.
