Secret negotiations between Yashar and United Torah Judaism: Eisenkot and Asher met

Gadi Eisenkot and Yaakov Asher met last week in a secret meeting, the first since the elections, as part of the negotiations to form the government. The sides are keeping a low profile for fear of public pressure and pressure from Netanyahu.

Chairman of the Yashar party, Gadi Eisenkot, and Chairman of United Torah Judaism, Yaakov Asher, met last week in a secret meeting, the first since the elections. The meeting is part of the negotiations to form the government, which have been conducted in secrecy since the mandate was given to Eisenkot. Eisenkot fears the public price if the negotiations do not mature into an agreement, while Asher seeks to avoid pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu. Asher's office stated that talks with political figures are natural during this period, and the Yashar party stated that Eisenkot is working to establish a national emergency government. Last week, a nighttime meeting between Netanyahu and Asher was reported, as part of Likud's efforts to prevent the ultra-Orthodox from joining Eisenkot's government. The ultra-Orthodox parties face difficulty advancing a draft exemption law before the government is formed, due to time constraints and legal opinions.