UTJ Will Not Recommend Any Candidate to President Herzog

United Torah Judaism's representatives announced that they will not recommend any candidate to President Isaac Herzog to form Israel's next government. The party is withholding its endorsement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and from every other contender. Yitzhak Goldknopf, chairman of Agudat Yisrael, stated: "We are not committed to any political bloc." The chareidi alliance has made its support conditional on one issue, the legal status of yeshiva students and kollel members.

UTJ was scheduled to open the second day of consultations at the President's Residence on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

Degel HaTorah, the faction that follows leading Lithuanian chareidi rabbis, issued an official statement on Wednesday night. The statement was based on direct instructions from Rav Dov Landau shlita and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita. In it, the faction said its sole priority is securing the status of yeshiva students and ending what it described as the persecution of Torah scholars.

"At the instruction of Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbeinu Hagaon Rav Dovid Landau shlit"a and Maran Rosh HaYeshiva Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit"a, the representatives of the faction will not recommend any of the candidates to the president for the formation of the government."

Agudat Yisrael released a parallel statement in Goldknopf's name. It said the senior Chassidic rabbis on the Council of Torah Sages had instructed him not to endorse anyone for prime minister, in keeping with the position the party presented during the campaign. "As we committed during the elections, the primary mission is to regulate the status of Torah learners, and the candidate who brings a solution to the issue and legislation will receive the party's support," the statement read.

Goldknopf added his own demand. "We are not in anyone's bloc; we demand a draft law without sanctions," he said. Rav Landau has repeatedly said that UTJ belongs to no political bloc, only to "the bloc of the Torah world."

Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Netanyahu personally spoke with UTJ lawmakers Yaakov Asher, Meir Porush and Elyakim Stark in an effort to secure the party's backing. The report also described contacts with Rav Hirsch's household aimed at winning over MKs Yitzhak Pindrus and Moshe Weisfish. The rabbinic leadership declined to give Netanyahu the endorsement he sought.

Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to completing the draft law in a phone call with Asher, UTJ's chairman, on Tuesday. UTJ officials responded that words alone were no longer enough. The outlet also reported that Porush said earlier this week that he could not sit in a government under Gadi Eisenkot, even in return for a draft exemption law.

The Chassidic side of the alliance had not settled its position. Porush and Stark lead a separate faction called Chomat Torat Yisrael and had not reached a final decision. Channel 14 political correspondent Motti Kastel reported that several Admorim on Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages are inclined to instruct the two to recommend Netanyahu. An earlier JFeed report identified the two undecided lawmakers as Porush and Yitzhak Pindrus.

Shas chose differently. A Shas delegation arrived at the President's Residence on Wednesday evening and recommended Netanyahu. "Shas is a party that keeps its promises. We promised that we would recommend Bibi, and that is what we are doing," MK Michael Malkieli said. Shas dropped to six seats in the election.

Neither bloc controls the 61 seats required to command a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The mandate does not automatically go to the candidate with the most recommendations. Herzog awards it to the lawmaker he believes is most likely to assemble a coalition. On Wednesday, Herzog said he holds "very broad discretion" in making that choice. He also said he is prepared to hold further rounds of consultations if necessary.