The Meretz and United Torah Judaism parties choose their Knesset candidates today, and it will be the turn of Shas on Thursday.
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism told Arutz-7 that the Council of Torah Sages would be convening later today to make its final decision on the composition of the party's Knesset list. He said that one should not think that the tensions in his party were less than in other parties:
"The difference is that in other parties, the candidates have to make deals and alliances and other irrelevant things, while here you have to come to the Torah giants only with the truth: either you did the job, or you didn't."
Gafni said that though the polls show his party retaining its strength of five Knesset seats, "I will see it as a defeat if we only get five seats, and here's why: We are now in a cultural war - albeit without violence at this stage, and I hope it will remain that way - and the ones who are the spearhead of the drive to retain Israel's Jewish character are our party. Others joined in at times, but we were the leaders. Therefore I assume that we will receive support from non-religious voters who are concerned for the Jewish character of the state... In addition, our sector has a natural population growth... Furthermore, support for other religious parties looks like it will be dropping, so I hope we will grow from that direction as well."
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism told Arutz-7 that the Council of Torah Sages would be convening later today to make its final decision on the composition of the party's Knesset list. He said that one should not think that the tensions in his party were less than in other parties:
"The difference is that in other parties, the candidates have to make deals and alliances and other irrelevant things, while here you have to come to the Torah giants only with the truth: either you did the job, or you didn't."
Gafni said that though the polls show his party retaining its strength of five Knesset seats, "I will see it as a defeat if we only get five seats, and here's why: We are now in a cultural war - albeit without violence at this stage, and I hope it will remain that way - and the ones who are the spearhead of the drive to retain Israel's Jewish character are our party. Others joined in at times, but we were the leaders. Therefore I assume that we will receive support from non-religious voters who are concerned for the Jewish character of the state... In addition, our sector has a natural population growth... Furthermore, support for other religious parties looks like it will be dropping, so I hope we will grow from that direction as well."