The chairman of the Am Shalem party, former Knesset member Rabbi Haim Amsalem, on Monday announced his intent to run in the elections for the 24th Knesset.
"In the upcoming elections, I will run as part of the Am Shalem party," Amsalem told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) in an interview, adding, "We are in dialogue with at least two parties. In my opinion, we will pass the electoral threshold and we will pass it nicely. We will go with anyone who is willing to compromise with us."
Amsalem was previously an MK with Shas, but left the party in 2010 after being sharply criticized by fellow Shas MKs.
Amsalem was considered too liberal for many in the haredi Shas, and has advocated for haredim to enlist in the IDF and join the workforce while still maintaining the values of Torah study.
In the elections to the 21st Knesset, Amsalem joined Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party and was placed in the number 2 spot on the Zehut slate. The party received 2.75% of the vote and did not pass the electoral threshold.