The national-religious Yamina electoral alliance is split on signing a document pledging to only back Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu as its candidate for prime minister, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
Jewish Home and National Union, two of the three factions that make up Yamina, are prepared to sign, but New Right is reportedly opposed.
“Enough already with this nonsense of signing documents,” New Right is quoted saying by the broadcaster.
After coming short of a majority in the September 17 elections, Netanyahu and his right-wing religious allies inked an agreement to only enter a government together that he heads.
Netanyahu is now pushing for Yamina and the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties to sign another document stating they will only recommend him as their candidate for prime minister, including during the so-called 21 days when a majority of Knesset members can choose one of their number to form a government if the two lawmakers first tasked by the president with doing so fail.
Reports last week said Shas and UTJ were open to signing but Yamina was wavering.
Rafi Peretz, left, Bezalel Smotrich, center, and Ayelet Shaked, right, at the Yamina party headquarters on election night in Ramat Gan, September 17, 2019. (Flash90)
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel