United Torah Judaism has no particular allegiance to either prime ministerial candidate, MK Yaakov Litzman claimed Sunday.
During an interview with Channel Two, Litzman said that while his party's preference is for Binyamin Netanyahu to remain prime minister, there is also the option of sitting in a government formed by Labor leader Yitzhak Herzog.
According to Litzman, UTJ does not view itself as necessarily committed to becoming part of a right-wing government. Sitting with Herzog is a possibility, he notes.
Echoing earlier remarks from an interview with Haaretz on Thursday, Litzman said UTJ had not ruled any other party out, noting the haredi party has already sat in a government with the left-wing, secular Meretz party.
One glaring exception to that rule, however, is Yesh Atid under the leadership of former finance minister Yair Lapid.
Litzman stressed emphatically during the interview that United Torah Judaism would never sit in a coalition with Lapid.
When asked how the party's severe opposition to Lapid jives with Litzman's previous claim that UTJ does not exclude anyone, Litzman clarified that Lapid is a special exception.
According to Litzman, UTJ will never sit with Lapid because of his damaging blow against the haredim - i.e. the draft law and criminal sanctions against draft-dodgers - as well as the humiliation he caused the haredi parties during the last term.
Lapid, who entered the studio immediately after Litzman's interview, dismissed the comments.
According to Lapid, Litzman's comments are only meant to satisfy a particular group of constituents prior to elections. After Tuesday, Lapid argues, the UTJ MK will change his tune and the two parties will be able to sit comfortably in a government together.