Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime ultra-Orthodox ally increasingly believes he will not succeed in forming a majority coalition after last month’s election, and fears a government that excludes it could be set up later, according to a report of Thursday.
The United Torah Judaism and Shas parties are worried that a potential coalition of the prime minister’s opponents will increase the status quo on religious matters, as began under a Netanyahu-led government of 2013-2015, when the Haredi parties were last in opposition, reports the Ynet news site.
The two parties are considering preventing such a situation by turning on Netanyahu, but not against the so-called right-wing bloc, the report said.
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The main priorities of the parties are legislation on conscription for nursery school students, rules on religious upheavals, the shortage of housing for their communities and other welfare issues.
UTJ-MK Yaakov Asher hinted on Thursday that the party could work to form a government led by another member of Netanyahu’s Likud faction if the prime minister could not form a coalition.
Speaking at a panel discussion by Kol Hai radio station, Asher said: ‘We are not betting on leaders of other parties, but we do not intend to wait until the last minute of the mandate to surprise Bennett or anyone else. not. ”
Asher indicated that if we and his countrymen do not see progress in Netanyahu’s efforts, “we will sit down together and decide what to do.”
Another source in UTJ told Ynet that by the end of the current 28-day government, Netanyahu should form a government, that the ultra-Orthodox parties will demand clarification from the Likud leader, and ‘if we do not impression that he has a chance to form a government, we can stop it. ‘
President Reuven Rivlin gave Netanyahu the first chance to try to form a government after Likud won the most seats in the March 23 election and Netanyahu was recommended by 52 MKs, compared to 45 who supported opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) has. Netanyahu has 19 days left in his effort. After that, Rivlin can give him an extension, or give the mandate to form a government to another legislature, or return the issue to the Knesset, which will have 21 days to give a majority to a potential prime minister, otherwise it will go Israel after its first quick fire election.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri at a meeting in Jerusalem, March 4, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Shas and UTJ have been steadfast allies of Netanyahu for the past two years through four election cycles, but there have been cracks in their alliance around last month’s vote, especially from UTJ.
Shas, who represents Mizrahi and Sephardi religious Jews, won nine seats in the election, while the Ashkenazi UTJ won seven.
Likud won 30 seats in the Knesset with 120 seats, far more than any other party, but Netanyahu’s bloc counts 52 seats, less than a majority, even if he secures the seven seats of Naftali Bennett’s right-wing Yamina. The bloc of anti-Netanyahu parties also does not have a majority.
A few days before the election, UTJ leader Moshe Gafni said the party would consider his options if Netanyahu did not win a majority, and set aside a loyalty pledge his party had signed to Netanyahu. The month before, he had not ruled out a coalition with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, a longtime enemy of the ultra-Orthodox parties.
Yair Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, will speak at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv on March 24, 2021, following the release of exit polls for the Knesset election. (Gili Yaari / Flash90)
Shortly after the vote, it was said that both Shas and UTJ were angry with Netanyahu for reinforcing far-right religious Zionism during the campaign, believing the attempt cost them Knesset seats.
Last week, the parties reportedly told Netanyahu that they would not follow him to another round, despite public statements of support for the prime minister.
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported on Thursday that talks between Likud and Yamina are progressing. Netanyahu needs Yamina to form a government, and must also persuade religious Zionism to abandon its opposition to the Islamic Ra’am party that supports the government from outside.
According to the report, Netanyahu Bennett hosted the Ministry of Defense, and Ayina Shaked, Yamina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a prospective government, although Yamina wanted the Ministry of Finance for Shaked.
Yamina is also expected to receive a smaller portfolio, most likely the Ministry of Culture and Sport, as the Ministry of Justice is likely to stay with Likud, the report said. Netanyahu fought against the Ministry of Justice amid his ongoing trial over corruption charges.
Yamina’s party leader Naftali Bennett arrives at his official residence in Jerusalem on April 8, 2021, for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Netanyahu is expected to offer a rotation deal to Bennett only if the Yamina leader immediately commits to not trying to form a coalition with the anti-Netanyahu bloc, the report said.
Both parties denied the report.
Bennett’s talks with Lapid have stalled, and Netanyahu is likely to continue to push religious Zionism in the coming days to abandon his opposition to Ra’am, and will likely try to persuade Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party to to support his coalition from the outside, the report reads. New Hope stood on a platform to replace Netanyahu as prime minister and has stood firm since the election.
New Hope lawmakers said Netanyahu tried to lure them in with the party’s coveted portfolios to reach a majority, but they refused.
New Hope did not exclude Likud, only Netanyahu, leading to scenarios in which Netanyahu relinquishes power and becomes president or alternative prime minister, enabling Sa’ar’s party to join and form a right-wing majority coalition among leadership of another Likud member.
New hope leader Gideon Sa’ar at party headquarters in Tel Aviv on March 23, 2021. (Tomer Neuberg / Flash90)
Yamina party leader Bennett said on Monday that his party supported the formation of a right-wing government with Likud, but stressed that defending a fifth round of elections in two years was his overarching goal. Sa’ar and the center can join. left if Netanyahu fails to forge a coalition.
