Eli Yishai
Eli YishaiFlash 90

Sources in the Jewish Home Party have suggested that former minister Eli Yishai and his Yahad Party enter negotiations with them to run together in the upcoming elections with Otzma Yehudit.

The Yahad Party said in response that "there was no official appeal from Jewish Home. At the same time, we favor of unity within the Right-bloc to save the Right-bloc."

In response to a query by Arutz Sheva, the Jewish Home Party said "Jewish Home is committed to establishing a Rightist, stable, and united government of 61 and will do whatever it takes to bring it to victory. We again turn to the National Union and the New Right to join us."

Earlier it was reported that sources in the Noam Party, formed before the 22nd Knesset election and that withdrew from the race before polls opened, appealed to the Jewish Home Party and Education Minister Rafi Peretz to examine a joint run in the elections.

Noam claimed to have succeeded in recruiting 70,000 supporters in the last election round, or roughly half the number needed to enter the Knesset.

Jewish Home refused to open negotiations with the Har HaMor yeshiva-affiliated party, stating that efforts are currently devoted to establishing connection with the National Union Party.

In recent days, Rabbi Peretz has been fiercely criticized for rushing to sign a joint run agreement with Otzma Yehudit and neglecting the National Union headed by Minister Betzalel Smotrich.

Several deputy mayors belonging to Jewish Home met Saturday night and decided to require Peretz to sign an agreement with the National Union and only then to re-examine a connection with Otzma Yehudit. The deputies say that if Rabbi Peretz fails to fulfill their demands, they will exert their influence on hundreds of Jewish Home Central Committee members to make sure the agreement with Ben Gvir will not be approved and will be rendered void.

Modi'in Deputy Mayor and Jewish Home Branch Council Chairman Amiad Taub told Reshet Bet that "there is no logic in this connection. I estimate it won't get through the party central committee either. We demand to allow everyone who identifies with our values to run for the Central Committee, from Ayelet Shaked to Betzalel Smotrich."

Jewish Home Chairman Peretz decided to sign the agreement with Otzma Yehudit and did not update his faction members in advance. Rabbi Chaim Druckman also did not know in advance about Peretz's negotiations with Itamar Ben Gvir, and expressed hope that there would be an overall unification among Right-leaning parties, consistent with his stance in the previous election round.

Peretz agreed to give Otzma Yehudit candidates the third, sixth, and ninth place. Ben Gvir, who would be in third place, told the Knesset Channel: "We compromised; I should have demanded first place, or at least second place."