Further signs of political flexibility are emerging within the haredi community. Rabbi Shlomo Yedidya Zafrani, a prominent Sephardic haredi rabbinical leader and president of the Amalei HaTorah network of communities, addressed over Shabbat in Jerusalem the possibility of political cooperation with the anti-Netanyahu bloc and the formation of a center-left government.
During a sermon delivered to worshippers in Jerusalem's Kiryat Yovel neighborhood, Rabbi Zafrani made clear that the haredi parties are not automatically committed to either political bloc.
"We are neither in the right-wing bloc nor in the left-wing bloc. We stand with the holy Torah," he said.
Referring to the two political camps, he added harshly that for the haredi public, "it's a choice between the lesser of two evils, and both are evil." He supported his position with examples from Jewish religious sources concerning the failures of groups that did not follow the instructions of their spiritual leaders.
Rabbi Zafrani's remarks come amid internal discussions within Shas and the other haredi parties over the possibility of joining an alternative government, provided it guarantees the status of yeshiva students and prevents their conscription into the military.