Negotiations between the chareidi parties and Gadi Eisenkot's State Camp have reached "very advanced" stages, Kan News reported this evening.
According to the report, the little that has emerged in the media about the contacts does not accurately reflect the real progress made between the sides toward the swearing-in of a new government.
Although the State Camp would need the votes of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in order to form a government with the chareidim, neither is taking part in the negotiations at this stage.
In practice, Bennett will have to decide whether to accept the arrangement with the chareidim after campaigning on "service for everyone" and "the servants' revolution."
Another detail worth noting: for now, only United Torah Judaism is conducting contacts with the left-wing bloc, while Shas has remained outside the picture and has declared so repeatedly.
To form a 61-seat government, the left would also need Shas's votes, or the government would have to rely on Ra'am. It is possible that in the end, to prevent such a scenario, Shas will agree to join the government with United Torah Judaism, particularly if the Ashkenazi gedolei Torah stand behind the move.
