Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettYonatan Sindel/Flash90

In response to criticism of the Head of the Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett, for his supposed silence regarding Shabbat desecration in Tel Aviv, Bennett gave an interview with haredi radio stations which clarified that his party was actively involved in the current debates concerning Shabbat observance.

"We are full partners in all the debates relating to Shabbat observance," he said in an interview with Kol Hai. "We are active just like all the heads of the haredi factions. The Shabbat is important to us to the same degree. We go hand-in-hand with the haredim on this issue.."

In a similar vein, Bennett expressed on the Sephardi haredi station Kol Baramah: "I'm fighting for the Shabbat no less than my haredi friends." He also noted his joint work with Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism). "My partnership with Litzman is [a rare phenomenon] in the political sphere. This connection will continue in the future."

Last week, it will be remembered, Bennett made clear that his political covenant with the haredi MKs was permanent and strong, and that he wouldn't be a partner in a coalition at the expense of United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas.

"I see the participation with the haredim as permanent," Bennet said in an interview with Mishpacha a haredi weekly . "I will not go to a coalition at the expense of the haredim... we have a common ideological element: The Land of Israel.

"There is a connection between the haredi sector and the Land of Israel," Bennett said. "The haredi public is right-wing. I see yeshiva students touring the Land in great numbers during their break from studies."