MK Ayelet Shaked
MK Ayelet ShakedFlash 90

MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) was interviewed by the Knesset Channel on Thursday, one day after the party approved a new constitution that was rejected by the Tekuma faction of the party, headed by Minister Uri Ariel.

"I'm glad there were differences of opinion, because that’s democracy at its best," she said, adding that the new constitution will be positive for the party.

"The new constitution indicates a desire for unity and leadership, [party chairman] Naftali Bennett is prime minister material,” said Shaked.

The new constitution will allow Bennett to fill every fifth spot on the party's Knesset list with an external candidate based on his own discretion. It will give him the power to cancel for candidates of his choosing the 2.5 year membership qualification period to be on the party list, and let him select all placements for Knesset executive positions and ministerial posts. The party's central committee will be limited to approving the choices and not making them, as it currently does.

Bennett also wants the Jewish Home's list to include secular candidates and people who will appeal to the Russian-speaking and Druze sectors, among others.

These have caused tension with the Tekuma factio, which ran for the Knesset in a joint list with the Jewish Home.

Both critics and opponents of the move note that the change would see the party open itself to candidates, and representation, outside the Religious-Zionist sector and reach more of the general Israeli population - a change not unwanted by most of the party's Knesset MKs.

Ariel has warned that the issue, if remained unresolved, could cause a potential split, torpedoing the Religious-Zionist vote for future Knesset coalitions in the event the vote becomes fragmented.

Despite this, Bennett has vowed to keep the party united - no matter the vote's results - and proponents of the initiative note that the party's religious Zionist ideology is enshrined in the constitution anyway.

Despite Tekuma’s opposition to the new constitution, Shaked remained optimistic that there will not be a split in the party.

“Of course there will be unity. I hope it happens soon because, after all, there is no difference between Nissan Slomiansky and Zevulun Kalfa, or between Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan and Avi Wortzman,” she said.