In consultation with Rebbe Magor, Yitzhak Goldknopf decided to claim the housing portfolio for himself, but his appointment to the coveted portfolio is not going to be that simple because Netanyahu is reluctant to give the portfolio to a sectoral party. In the Hasidic Council last night, the question of appointing a Hasidic representative to the minister came up – and the Rebbe approved
Yitzhak Goldknopf’s demand to be appointed Minister of Housing as instructed by the Rebbe Magor was cleared last night (Sunday), in the Hasidic Council, but is encountering difficulties precisely with the Likud, who are considering whether to keep the position in their hands.
At last night’s meeting between Torah Judaism Chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf and Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu, they discussed the former’s demand to be appointed to the position of Minister of Housing, a demand that came at the request of Rebbe Magor, who, as I recall, ordered former Knesset Member Yarav Litzman in the previous term to take over the Ministry of Housing instead of the Ministry of Health.
Opening the negotiations: it is the team of ‘Torah Judaism’ who will conduct the talks
‘Bachderi Haredim’ learned that Netanyahu backed away from Goldknopf’s demand. Netanyahu said that since the housing problems are a sectoral and global crisis, he wants to take the issue seriously and the fear is that if an ultra-orthodox minister who represents a sectoral party is appointed, the impression will be given that only the ultra-Orthodox issue will be resolved.
Yitzhak Goldknopf in his meeting last night with Netanyahu
Netanyahu proposed to appoint an ultra-Orthodox deputy minister in the Ministry of Housing, who would be the one to receive the powers from the secular minister and concentrate the severe housing crisis in the ultra-Orthodox public. According to estimates, Netanyahu is considering leaving the case in Likud’s hands in order to come up with a general plan, but if Goldknopf insists, he will get the position.
Goldenkopf, who is being appointed to the position of minister for the first time and has not held a government position before, hastened to reassure Netanyahu and told him: “For 20 years, I managed the network of kindergartens, not only the ultra-Orthodox, 12,000 employees worked under me. I have the experience to manage an office for all populations.”
In the meantime, at the discussion of the Council of Torah Elders last night, the question of appointing an Agudat Israel representative to the minister came up, recalling that throughout history the members of the council have been opposed to ministerial appointments, and only recently did the former minister Yaakov Litzman receive approval to be appointed a minister in view of the legal problems of appointing him as a deputy minister with the status and powers of a minister, due to The indictments prohibiting Netanyahu from serving as minister.
In last night’s discussion, the Rebbe of Mazzanz noted the order of the president of the Lithuanian council, Rabbi Garag Edelstein, that representatives of Degal HaTorah would not be appointed to ministerial positions.
The discussion came to the table and in the end the Rebbe members of the council decided that although they are against the appointment of ministers, but since the legal problem of serving as a deputy minister in the status of a minister still exists, Goldenkopf will be able to be appointed a minister in the next government as well.