"We Owe You Nothing": Haredi Newspapers Signal a Break from the Right

The Haredi newspapers 'Yated Ne'eman' and 'Hamodia' published articles signaling a break from the right-wing partnership, against the backdrop of the mandate being given to Gadi Eisenkot. The articles claim that the right is no better than the left on the conscription law, and state that the Haredi public is not committed to any political bloc.

The Haredi newspapers 'Yated Ne'eman' and 'Hamodia' published Tuesday morning articles paving the way for halting the political partnership with Likud and the right-wing bloc, against the backdrop of the mandate to form the government being given to Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot. In 'Yated Ne'eman', it was written directly to the right-wing bloc: "When exactly did the Haredi public become an inseparable part of the right? On the conscription law, it turned out that the right is no better than the left. Do not threaten us, do not preach to us, and we owe you no explanation or answer." In 'Hamodia' as well, warnings from the Prime Minister's circle were dismissed. The articles expressed disappointment with the term that ended, mainly around the failure to regulate the status of Torah scholars and yeshiva students, and claimed that MKs from within Likud and Religious Zionism torpedoed the conscription law for political reasons. The writers emphasized that the Haredi representation enabled the formation of right-wing governments in the past but did not receive compensation, and stated that "there never was and never will be a real 'bloc' with the right or the left. We are neither right nor left—we are Da'at Torah." Practical decisions will be made according to the instructions of Haredi public leaders, including Rabbi Dov Lando and Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch.