MK Yakov Asher
MK Yakov AsherAharon Krohn/Flash90

MK Yakov Asher, from the Ashkenazic-haredi UTJ party, said his party has never demanded that the State of Israel become a "state of Jewish law."

In an article published in the haredi Yated Ne'eman newspaper, Asher wrote: "We never desired that Jewish law should rule the country," but added that his party is fighting to retain the status quo which has been in place since Israel's founding.

"We have fought an uncompromising battle of faith against harm to the Torah world," he wrote. "We have fought the Shabbat (Sabbath) war by passing laws which will preserve, in an non-threatening manner, the Jewish character of the state."

"Our work is not done," he added.

"The concrete concern that everything which is holy and dear will be destroyed is closer than ever. Now, all the evil forces in politics have come together to limit our movements and besmirch our actions, while frightening the public in various strange ways."

Since April, MK Avidor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) has been emphasizing that he will not allow the religious and haredi parties to turn Israel into a "state of Jewish law."

Meanwhile, both Liberman and Blue and White leaders MK Benny Gantz and MK Yair Lapid have promised that after the elections, they will work to form a secular unity government without either the haredi parties or Religious Zionism's Yamina.