Members of the list met with Rav Dov Lando and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch motzei Shabbos to receive their blessing for the new term as reports swirl of contacts with the opposition over draft law
Members of the Degel HaTorah list visited the homes of rosh yeshiva Rav Dov Lando shlita and rosh yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita motzei Shabbos "to receive their blessing for the new term," the party announced.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the complex political situation following the election results, in which the current coalition was left with only 53 mandates. Intensive contacts have been taking place in recent days among various parties to form a government.
Rav Lando had instructed Degel HaTorah's Knesset members to open talks with all parties. "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 clarified, according to the reports.
The instruction came amid intensive contacts in recent days to form a minority government with Yahadut HaTorah (UTJ) abstaining from the vote. Senior figures in the opposition bloc are attempting to engineer a complex political move: Yahadut HaTorah would provide a safety net for Gadi Eisenkot. The move would bring Netanyahu's bloc down to 46 mandates and raise Eisenkot's bloc to 55 mandates.
The price UTJ is demanding in exchange for abstaining in the swearing-in is an agreed draft law and arrangement of the status of yeshiva students. Senior figures in Yahadut HaTorah confirmed that talks are indeed taking place through intermediaries, but the chances of such a move are considered extremely slim.
UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher's office quickly denied the reports. "No instruction was given. We have not yet been to the gedolei Yisroel since the elections," the office stated. This evening's meeting is the first by members of the list with gedolei Yisroel since the election results.
A senior source in Yisrael Beiteinu gave Kikar HaShabbat a sharp statement on the draft law: "Liberman made clear that the first law in any government he is a partner in will be a draft law for everyone." The source added and emphasized: "This is a declaration that comes after the elections. This is a central principle we will not budge from, even at the price of elections! We will not sell out the fighters for power, draft for everyone with zero exemptions."
At the same time, a senior MK in the opposition bloc told Kikar HaShabbat that following the election results and the ongoing negotiations, 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 clarified. "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."
In closed convesrations, UTJ claims that Shas will join the move in the next stage if they succeed in arranging the draft issue. This is against the backdrop of Shas's collapse in the elections, which plunged from 11 mandates to only 6 mandates.
President Isaac Herzog will open the round of consultations with party representatives on forming the government this coming Wednesday. This evening's meeting of Degel HaTorah members with gedolei Yisroel is expected to set the party's basic lines ahead of the consultations.
Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
