A new front in the right wing? The results are not yet known, the negotiations have not yet begun, but it is already possible to determine what the difficulties that will arise and make it difficult for the establishment of a right-wing government • Religious Zionists declare: We will insist in the negotiations on appointing a chief rabbi from the national religious sector | The full story in the first publication
Even before it is known whether 61 will be able to form a government, the ‘religious Zionists’ are starting to sew suits and opening a front against the ultra-Orthodox factions, a move that could make it difficult to establish a right-wing government.
At the activist conference this evening (Saturday night), Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich addressed his party’s religious and state demands and stated that he would demand in the coalition agreements, the appointment of a rabbi from religious Zionism.
In a document from the meeting that took place on Zoom and came to me in the ‘Orthodox rooms’, the chairman of the Religious Zionist party was asked about the appointment of a rabbi from the national religious sector and stated: “We will definitely insist on this, it’s simple – at least one of the two must be a religious Zionist.”
“This has not happened in the past because of all kinds of internal disputes within us, we need to act so that there is a candidate agreed upon by all and we will promote him,” he said in the conversation and even stated: “We will insist on this in the coalition agreement as well.”
Smotrich also repeated his statement, which we published in the past, that his party will demand the religion portfolio if it is bigger than Shas: “In kashrut and conversion we published plans of what the problem is and what the solutions are, why what Kahnah promoted was a mistake.”
“We are going to insist on the solutions, I hope we will be big and strong and be able to claim the portfolio of religions, but even if we don’t put our hands on the wheel,” he concluded.