The rabbis of religious Zionism gathered last night and received updates from the chairman of the religious Zionist party, Bezalel Smotrich, about the coalition contacts to form a government. The rabbis called on Smotrich to unequivocally and uncompromisingly meet the demand for the position of Minister of Defense, in order to “strengthen the security of the State of Israel, strengthen the spirit of the IDF, prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and regulate the settlements in Judea and Samaria.”
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In addition, they sought to meet the party’s demand for the education and religious files and noted that “it is of the utmost importance that religious Zionism lead the efforts for the Jewish identity of the state in the spirit of the Land of Israel.”
The rabbis ended with a personal appeal to Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu “to recognize the power, value and partnership of religious Zionism, which has won the trust of over half a million voters and received 14 mandates.”
Rabbi Haim Druckman, the head of the Bnei Akiva yeshiva and studio center, and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, the former rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi David Chai HaCohen, head of the Orot HaTorah yeshiva, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, head of the Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi Haim Gantz, head of the yeshiva, participated in the meeting. Ma’ale Eliyahu, Rabbi Shimon Cohen head of Beit Moriah institutions, Rabbi Yoel Manovich head of the Golan yeshiva in Hispin, Rabbi David Pandel head of the Hesder yeshiva Sderot and Rabbi David Turgeman head of the Dimona yeshiva.