Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to keep the chareidi parties from joining an alternate coalition, and this time he tried to go over the heads of their Knesset members.
According to a report on Channel 12, Netanyahu asked to speak directly with Rav Dov Lando shlita and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita, and even offered to send emissaries to their homes. The circles around both roshei yeshiva declined.
The message sent back to the prime minister was that such a meeting would not be appropriate, and that he should work through the usual channels. At the same time, Netanyahu also approached a senior rav in Shas who is among the party's decision-makers. A source in the chareidi parties described the pressure coming from the Prime Minister's Office in one word: "insane."
Separately, it was reported that Netanyahu is telling associates he expects the chareidi parties to vote against the formation of a government led by Gadi Eisenkot, not merely abstain. According to the prime minister, he wants repeat elections and is confident he will win them, after which he will be able to meet the chareidi demands.
Meanwhile, the chareidi parties are setting conditions for joining an alternate government. Among the central demands: a transitional provision freezing the draft obligation for at least one year, until a comprehensive arrangement is worked out, and a halt to arrests of draft evaders and the sanctions against them. The MKs are expected to insist that the arrangement be anchored in legislation and receive approval from the attorney general and the High Court.
