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Calls for Unity from Wall to Wall (Almost)
Calls for Unity from Wall to Wall (Almost)
By Hillel Fendel
Everyone in Israel, and especially on the nationalist side of the political spectrum, is still trying to make sense of the bombshell that has fallen upon us: a second election campaign forced upon us in less than a half-year. The fact that this was essentially the work of one single man – Avigdor Lieberman, head of the "right-wing" Yisrael Beiteinu party, who refused to come to a coalition agreement with Binyamin Netanyahu and the hareidi parties – makes it all the harder to digest.
Many feel Netanyahu was justified in saying – admittedly out of his angry frustration at his former Chief of Staff – that from now on Lieberman must be categorized as "left-wing," period.
Now Lieberman has come up with another headline-grabber, if not worse: He said he plans to force a "unity government" upon the country after the next election, using whatever clout he is granted by the electorate. That is, he plans not to join any coalition – thus preventing its formation, he hopes – unless both the Likud and the Blue-White party of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid are members.
These, then, will be Lieberman's themes for the upcoming campaign: The hareidim and other religious elements are to blame for all, and must not be allowed a real say in the upcoming government. In addition to stirring up much dissention and hatred, he is liable to attract the votes of many former Russian immigrants, as well as others in the Israeli public.
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| Avigdor Lieberman at a Yisrael Beiteinu press conference, June 8, 2019. Credit: Moti Milrod |
This makes the challenge for the religious-Zionist and nationalist parties all the greater: They must see to it that, together with the hareidi parties and the Likud, they achieve at least a simple majority of the 120 Knesset seats, without having to rely on Lieberman.
Demographically, this appears fairly easy. Surveys and election campaigns consistently show that the majority of Israelis, and certainly of Israeli Jews, are of nationalist political leanings. Had only a few thousand more people voted in April for either the New Right (headed by Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked) or Moshe Feiglin's Zehut party, this would have meant approximately six more seats for the right wing (four for each party, minus at most two that this would have cost the Likud, according to the complex calculations that govern the allocation of Knesset seats). This, of course, would have been more than enough to neutralize the five Yisrael Beiteinu mandates and enable the formation of the nationalist government that the majority of Israeli voters want.
Demographically, this appears fairly easy. Surveys and election campaigns consistently show that the majority of Israelis, and certainly of Israeli Jews, are of nationalist political leanings. Had only a few thousand more people voted in April for either the New Right (headed by Naftali Bennet and Ayelet Shaked) or Moshe Feiglin's Zehut party, this would have meant approximately six more seats for the right wing (four for each party, minus at most two that this would have cost the Likud, according to the complex calculations that govern the allocation of Knesset seats). This, of course, would have been more than enough to neutralize the five Yisrael Beiteinu mandates and enable the formation of the nationalist government that the majority of Israeli voters want.
But in order to translate these numbers into nationalist-camp Knesset seats in the upcoming September election, all agree that one thing is absolutely indispensable: unity in the ranks. The question is: How is this done?
The three hareidi parties – United Torah Judaism, Degel HaTorah, and Shas – have already united as much as they can: the first two are running together, and the addition of Shas to their ranks would not bolster the numbers, as they attract a different set of voters. To the right of the Likud, or otherwise attracting right-wing votes, are: Jewish Strength (Otzmah Yehudit), National Union, Jewish Home, the New Right, Zehut – and the big question mark, Ayelet Shaked.
The first three ran together as a technical bloc in the recent election, and are likely to do so again – but many potholes still remain along the road to that destination. The longer their unity remains a question mark, the more they find chances to toss divisive digs at each other. This is why "Unity Now!" is a must for these three parties.
The next two parties would also be well advised to run together. Though there is much the New Right and Zehut do not agree on, they both appeal to generally right-wing voters for whom a religious component in the government is not a must. Voters for both parties are liable to be deterred from voting for them for fear that their vote will be wasted on a party that will not reach the minimum threshold – but this concern will be obviated if they run together.
Another possibility is that all five parties, or at least four of them, run together as what is called a "technical bloc" – and then disband after the election. The main problem with this scenario is how to determine the order of the candidates – especially at the top...
And another question that remains, essentially muddling the entire picture, is where the popular Ayelet Shaked fits in. After her joining the Likud became a non-option, she now faces two options: running together with Bennett again, or returning to the United Right party.
Betzalel Smotrich, co-head of the United Right party, said he would be willing to cede his place "for the sake of unity." He is currently #2 on the united list, and so perhaps he meant that he would be willing to drop to #3 if Shaked was to join? This was not immediately clear. What's true is that he made this statement around the same time as an underreported Reshet Bet "scoop" that a "leading rabbinical figure" had said that Shaked should join the United Right party and be given the #2 spot and the Justice Ministry.
The Haaretz newspaper reported that PM Binyamin Netanyahu, too, is planning to work to unite all the parties that are "right of the Likud" into one bloc. Netanyahu is credited with having given the final push to merge Jewish Strength and the United Right in the previous election.
Though there is a strong desire to unite, possibly the main stumbling block is the resentment that remains on the part of some against Shaked and Naftali Bennett for having abandoned the United Right party just before the last election campaign. Some, including leading Knesset Members, say that this emphasizes that Bennett's and Shaked's values are not those of a religious-Zionist party.
To this, Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, founding Rabbi of Beit El and Rosh Yeshivat Beit El, said on Monday: "The trick now is to act with restraint, not to emphasize the differences, and to highlight what we have in common. We have no other choice, and only thus will we succeed. The New Right, the United Right, Jewish Strength – division is dangerous and is liable to prevent us from taking part in leading the country."
Rav Chaim Druckman, the "elder statesman and sage" of religious Zionism, agrees. In answer to a question, he said, "Yes, even Naftali Bennett should be welcomed, as he has great strengths."
Rav Melamed concluded: "I pray to Hashem that all those who wish to see a strong Nation of Israel, that the Land of Israel should be in our hands, that the Torah should be maximally prevalent amidst our nation, and that the State should have a Jewish character – should all realize that we have no choice but to be united."