Will United Torah Judaism be the one to save the coalition? Senior members of the party claimed on Wednesday evening that they have been contacted by senior rabbis from the Lithuanian and Hasidic sectors demanding they consider supporting the Judea and Samaria regulations.
"A number of the great rabbis have asked Knesset members from United Torah Judaism to examine the significance on the haredi cities in the event that the Judea and Samaria regulations do not pass," the sources said.
They added that failure to approve the Judea and Samaria regulations would have serious social consequences.
"[The rabbis] submitted their demand after being informed that it could lead to a situation of great chaos that includes the revocation of the right of the residents of Judea and Samaria to Social Security or health insurance," they explained.
The recent crisis with MK Nir Orbach began after the Judea and Samaria regulations failed to pass in a vote in the Knesset.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the chairman of United Torah Judaism, MK Moshe Gafni, secretly met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and discussed with him the possible scenarios should the government collapse.
At the same time, it was reported that Gafni refused Lapid's request to abstain during the vote on the Judea and Samaria Regulations Law, thus allowing it to be passed.
When news of the meeting was made public, Gafni was severely criticized by the Likud. On Wednesday evening, Gafni was interviewed by the haredi radio station Kol Barama and responded to the criticism, saying, "I do not understand the criticism of Likud officials about my meeting with Lapid, I talk to a lot of people all the time just like the Likud does."
He also commented on his preference between the possibility of going to early elections and forming a government in the current Knesset and said, "If the goal is to expand the infrastructure of the government so as not to go to elections, then a solution can be reached."