Two MKs of the National Religious Party, including Party Chairman Effie Eitam, have all but signed an agreement to join the National Union party – possibly within the coming month.
Eitam's partner in the move is MK Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, who headed the party before Eitam and made way for him to join and lead the party in 2002. Eitam attempted, unsuccessfully, to pave the way for a merger with the National Union at that time - and is now trying again.
Both Eitam and Levy hope that the NRP will merge with the National Union list, at least for the coming elections. "Just like we quit the government first, and then the rest of the party followed later," Rabbi Levy said, "hopefully it will be the same this time, and the rest of the Knesset faction will follow us to this merger." The remaining MKs of the NRP show no inclination to do so at this time, however.
The forerunner of the NRP, the Mizrachi (an acronym for Merkaz Ruchani, meaning "religious center"), was founded in 1902 in Vilna at a world conference called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. A separate trade union wing, HaPoel HaMizrachi, was founded in 1921, and in 1956, Mizrachi, HaPoel HaMizrachi and other religious Zionists merged to form the National Religious Party.
MK Sha'ul Yahalom, a strong ally of MK Zevulun Orlev in his ongoing disagreement with Eitam, said this morning that it would be unfair of Eitam and Levy to quit the party and take with them their share of the party's monthly allocation from the government. "If they feel they cannot remain in the party," Yahalom said, "they should resign from the Knesset, and let someone else take their place."
Eitam feels, however, that he and Levy won their seats by virtue of the party's relatively hawkish platform, and that "in many ways, the NRP was not loyal to the ideals the voters expected from it."
"I don't even want to think," Eitam told Arutz-7 today, "that with the great challenges in the educational, settlement and political spheres we face, that the national-religious camp might run in the elections on two separate lists, and I will do everything to make sure this does not happen... If the NRP's MKs do not want to join, then the public will join by voting; whatever splinter remains of the NRP will have to explain to the public why they don't want to work together with such idealistic people as Benny [Elon], Tzvi [Hendel] and Uri [Ariel]."
The new list, which has not yet been formalized, features Benny Elon, Tzvi Hendel, Levy, Eitam, Ariel, and MK Aryeh Eldad, in that order. Eitam said that the new list can expect at least 10 MKs in the next election.
The NRP's Chaim Falk, the former head of the party's Youth Wing who was #10 on the party's list of Knesset candidates in the last election, says he has not yet decided if he will join Eitam and Levy. He says, however, that the electoral logic of such a move eludes him. "Putting all the right-wing MKs in one party and thus pushing the centrist voters to the left is not a smart political move," Falk told Arutz-7 today. "The NRP and the National Union together are equal to about 12 Knesset seats, of which four of them belong to Avigdor Lieberman [a former National Union leader who will run on his own in the next election – ed.]. Three of them belong to NRP diehards, thus that the new National Union's potential is not very great. We have to work for unity, and this can't be done by splitting up."
Arutz-7 asked: "But why start only with 12? There is a very large camp of right-wing voters who were disappointed by the Likud and will vote for a more right-wing party in the next elections. Why not assume that the National Union may be able to reach 20 MKs?"
Falk: "It's possible, but first of all, Lieberman will attract many of these voters, and in addition, I don't know how many voters we’re talking about. Many of the genuine right-wingers, such as Jewish Leadership, will continue to vote for the Likud, and many of them didn't vote for the Likud last time... The main point is that this split will cause Zevulun Orlev to drift to the left; this is not the way to work for unity."
Eitam's partner in the move is MK Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, who headed the party before Eitam and made way for him to join and lead the party in 2002. Eitam attempted, unsuccessfully, to pave the way for a merger with the National Union at that time - and is now trying again.
Both Eitam and Levy hope that the NRP will merge with the National Union list, at least for the coming elections. "Just like we quit the government first, and then the rest of the party followed later," Rabbi Levy said, "hopefully it will be the same this time, and the rest of the Knesset faction will follow us to this merger." The remaining MKs of the NRP show no inclination to do so at this time, however.
The forerunner of the NRP, the Mizrachi (an acronym for Merkaz Ruchani, meaning "religious center"), was founded in 1902 in Vilna at a world conference called by Rabbi Yitzchak Yaacov Reines. A separate trade union wing, HaPoel HaMizrachi, was founded in 1921, and in 1956, Mizrachi, HaPoel HaMizrachi and other religious Zionists merged to form the National Religious Party.
MK Sha'ul Yahalom, a strong ally of MK Zevulun Orlev in his ongoing disagreement with Eitam, said this morning that it would be unfair of Eitam and Levy to quit the party and take with them their share of the party's monthly allocation from the government. "If they feel they cannot remain in the party," Yahalom said, "they should resign from the Knesset, and let someone else take their place."
Eitam feels, however, that he and Levy won their seats by virtue of the party's relatively hawkish platform, and that "in many ways, the NRP was not loyal to the ideals the voters expected from it."
"I don't even want to think," Eitam told Arutz-7 today, "that with the great challenges in the educational, settlement and political spheres we face, that the national-religious camp might run in the elections on two separate lists, and I will do everything to make sure this does not happen... If the NRP's MKs do not want to join, then the public will join by voting; whatever splinter remains of the NRP will have to explain to the public why they don't want to work together with such idealistic people as Benny [Elon], Tzvi [Hendel] and Uri [Ariel]."
The new list, which has not yet been formalized, features Benny Elon, Tzvi Hendel, Levy, Eitam, Ariel, and MK Aryeh Eldad, in that order. Eitam said that the new list can expect at least 10 MKs in the next election.
The NRP's Chaim Falk, the former head of the party's Youth Wing who was #10 on the party's list of Knesset candidates in the last election, says he has not yet decided if he will join Eitam and Levy. He says, however, that the electoral logic of such a move eludes him. "Putting all the right-wing MKs in one party and thus pushing the centrist voters to the left is not a smart political move," Falk told Arutz-7 today. "The NRP and the National Union together are equal to about 12 Knesset seats, of which four of them belong to Avigdor Lieberman [a former National Union leader who will run on his own in the next election – ed.]. Three of them belong to NRP diehards, thus that the new National Union's potential is not very great. We have to work for unity, and this can't be done by splitting up."
Arutz-7 asked: "But why start only with 12? There is a very large camp of right-wing voters who were disappointed by the Likud and will vote for a more right-wing party in the next elections. Why not assume that the National Union may be able to reach 20 MKs?"
Falk: "It's possible, but first of all, Lieberman will attract many of these voters, and in addition, I don't know how many voters we’re talking about. Many of the genuine right-wingers, such as Jewish Leadership, will continue to vote for the Likud, and many of them didn't vote for the Likud last time... The main point is that this split will cause Zevulun Orlev to drift to the left; this is not the way to work for unity."