The surprising message in the negotiations: United Torah Judaism does not rule out a government with Arab support
Sources in the rabbinical homes clarified in closed conversations with representatives of Lieberman and Eisenkot that if Shas does not join, reliance on the Arab factions will not constitute an obstacle for United Torah Judaism. The message is not a final decision, but removes a major obstacle in the talks, since the left bloc with only United Torah Judaism does not reach 61 seats.
In closed conversations with representatives of Avigdor Lieberman and Gadi Eisenkot, sources in the rabbinical homes clarified that if Shas does not join the government, reliance on the Arab factions will not constitute an obstacle for United Torah Judaism. This was reported by Mati Tuchfeld on Channel 14. The message is intended to remove one of the main obstacles in the talks: until now, the left bloc assessed that United Torah Judaism would refuse any move involving reliance on the Arab parties, and that without Shas it would not be possible to reach a majority of 61 seats. Now it turns out that among sources close to the rabbinical homes, the possibility is not ruled out outright. In United Torah Judaism, they assess that a conscription outline that would solve the problem of the arrest of yeshiva students and be acceptable to the party's rabbis would create heavy pressure on Shas to join, to the point of difficulty for the Council of Torah Sages to stand aside. However, in light of Shas's repeated denials and the fact that there is no serious dialogue with its elements, the left parties sought to know what United Torah Judaism would do if Shas indeed does not join. Sources involved in the talks note that the message does not constitute a final decision, and that the things were said as an examination of the options on the table. Nevertheless, the very raising of the possibility indicates growing flexibility on the part of United Torah Judaism. In the political system, they assess that the message is intended to signal to Shas that if it does not join, it will not succeed in torpedoing the move, and to present the left bloc with a dilemma between relying on the Arab factions and seeking alternatives.