A strong nationalist government must include hareidi-religious parties, MK Zev Elkin of Likud said Thursday.
“The last time they tried to make a right-wing government without the hareidi parties, and to split the nationalist camp, it ended in the Disengagement,” he warned. “We must not repeat past mistakes.”
Elkin spoke in a warning to MK Naftali Bennett and the Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) party. The Jewish Home party has been perceived as a difficult coalition partner regarding hareidi parties due to its alliance with Yesh Atid.
Both Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid and Jewish Home head Naftali Bennett have insisted on mandatory army service for hareidi men, something that hareidi politicians say will not come to pass.
On Wednesday, Likud Beytenu representatives met with negotiators from the Yesh Atid party for the first time in over two weeks. Yesh Atid presented its plan for an emergency solution to the housing crisis as well as discussing the school system and the system of governance.
The two sides agreed to hold further talks in the future.