Rav Landau orders UTJ to open talks with opposition on draft

Rosh yeshiva HaRav Dov Lando shlita has issued a clear directive to Degel HaTorah's Knesset members: open talks with the opposition bloc as well, with the aim of securing yeshiva students' status. "Make every effort to arrange the status of yeshiva students. We are not in anyone's bloc; we are in the bloc of the Torah world," the rosh yeshiva stated.

The instruction comes against the backdrop of intensive contacts in recent days toward forming a minority government with United Torah Judaism abstaining in key votes. Senior figures in the opposition are attempting to engineer a complex political manoeuvre: UTJ would provide a safety net for Gadi Eisenkot. This would bring Netanyahu's bloc down to 46 seats and raise Eisenkot's bloc to 55.

The price UTJ is demanding in return for abstaining in the swearing-in vote is an agreed draft law and the regularisation of yeshiva students' status. Senior figures in UTJ confirmed that talks are indeed taking place through intermediaries, but the chances of such a move are considered extremely slim.

A spokesman for UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher responded: "No such instruction was given. We have not yet been to the gedolei Yisrael since the election."

The central unknown in the political equation is Avigdor Liberman's position. In a statement he published on Thursday, Liberman did not speak of relying on the chareidi parties, but of sitting in government with them. He made clear: "We will not sit with Bibi and not with Tibi, not with Goldknopf and not with Deri. Not directly and not indirectly."

A senior source in Yisrael Beiteinu gave a sharp statement to Kikar Hashabbat on the draft law: "Liberman made clear yesterday that the first law in any government he is part of will be a draft law for everyone." The source added and emphasised: "This is a declaration that came after the election; it is a central principle we will not budge from, even at the price of elections! We will not sell out the fighters for the sake of power, conscription for all with zero exemptions."

At the same time, a senior MK in the opposition bloc told Kikar Hashabbat that in light of the election results and the negotiations under way, the bloc is seriously examining the possibility of compromising on the draft issue in order to form a government. "The election results show that the public did not vote against the chareidim," he explained. "If we need to compromise on the draft issue in order to form a government, we will examine it seriously. There is a whole world outside Twitter — a world that was not present at the moment of truth at the ballot box."

Liberman and Eisenkot (Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)

In UTJ they claim in closed conversations that if they do succeed in arranging the draft issue, Shas will join the move at the next stage. This is against the backdrop of Shas's collapse in the election, plunging from 11 seats to just six.

According to the latest updated figures, the current coalition reaches only 53 seats, versus 48 for the opposition bloc. In recent days contacts have taken place between opposition leaders, with Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman meeting in a late-night summit and agreeing to continue their cooperation.

Rav Lando's instruction reflects political flexibility in the Lithuanian Torah world, while maintaining the central principle: securing yeshiva students' status. "We are not in anyone's bloc; we are in the bloc of the Torah world" --- the rosh yeshiva's clear words reflect the principled approach: the interest of the Torah world stands above political considerations.