Likud Pressures HaTzibur HaHaredi Leader to Drop Out of Knesset Election Race
Likud campaign manager Zvika Brot met with HaTzibur HaHaredi leader Moti Leitner to discuss a potential withdrawal in exchange for a project manager role, amid right-wing fears of wasted votes.
The Likud campaign manager, Zvika Brot, met with Moti Leitner, chairman of the "HaTzibur HaHaredi Party", amid concerns that right-wing votes might be wasted in the upcoming elections. Brot offered Leitner a role as a national project manager with a budget of hundreds of millions of shekels to integrate Haredim into the workforce, provided he drops out of the race. Leitner has not yet withdrawn and is demanding guarantees that mainstream ultra-Orthodox factions will not torpedo the initiative.
Coalition Concerns and Pressure
The intense pressure on small parties comes amid deep anxiety within the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Several smaller factions risk failing to cross the electoral threshold, including the "Amcha Yisrael Party" led by Ofer Winter. Meanwhile, efforts by the Prime Minister's Office to arrange a meeting with Rabbi Zvi Tau, spiritual patron of the Noam party, were reportedly rebuffed, with associates insisting the party will run until the end.
Leitner's Dilemma
Leitner faces a complex political calculation. On one hand, running until the end with a small vote count could expose him to criticism from both mainstream Haredi leadership and Likud. On the other hand, accepting a governmental post without binding guarantees from traditional parties risks being perceived by his supporters as a hollow political deal.
"We do not have the privilege to withdraw. We have a huge public expecting us to represent them," Leitner stated, emphasizing that his party intends to stay in the race.
