Israeli Elections
The agreement with United Torah Judaism resolves a dispute last week that threatened the coalition’s formation.
A call by hundreds of non-Orthodox rabbis to boycott members of the Religious Zionism Party is answered.
CJV representing over 2,000 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, said the letter had “unrestrained hypocrisy.”
The signatories also said they would work to prevent the party’s members from speaking at other fora in their communities.
“Today we are taking another historic step to establish a Jewish, Zionist and national government,” Finance Minister-designate Bezalel Smotrich said.
The elder rabbi of the national religious sector talks conversions, gay rights and the states of Israel’s Supreme Court in a no-holds-barred interview.
A new framework needs to be built for the left-wing camp, the party’s outgoing Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej said.
The Israeli PM-designate says that “with God’s help, we’ll establish a right-wing government,” as party heads vie for key ministerial positions.
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu had hoped to inaugurate his Cabinet concurrently, but coalition negotiations are ongoing.
“The voting public has put unequivocal trust in me and the Likud movement, as well as in the parties partnering with us,” says Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Likud Party leader now has four weeks, with the possibility of a 14-day extension, to form Israel’s next governing coalition.
