Ultra-Orthodox Party Leader Moti Leitner Defies Pressure to Quit Knesset Race
Moti Leitner, leader of the HaTzibur HaHaredi Party, rejects pressure to withdraw from the Knesset race, vowing to pass the electoral threshold and address IDF conscription.
Moti Leitner, leader of the HaTzibur HaHaredi Party, insists on continuing his Knesset election campaign despite heavy pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu and established ultra-Orthodox parties to withdraw. Four days before the elections, Leitner spoke on 103fm, addressing his party's chances of passing the electoral threshold and explaining why a segment of the ultra-Orthodox public is seeking a new political home.
Polling Dynamics and Election Prep
"We set out to win, and we will pass the electoral threshold with full force. Our internal polls show us at two to three mandates, and we are in a rising dynamic," Leitner said. "I recognize this momentum. It started with fractions of a percent, and we have already crossed two percent. We are here for those who lack a political home." Leitner added that the party has invested significant resources into building a sophisticated election day apparatus.
Addressing the reluctance of some voters to publicly identify with the party, Leitner noted that polling firms struggle to accurately gauge their support. "Those who publicly identify with us face threats and violence and could pay a heavy price," he stated, emphasizing that the ultra-Orthodox community is not a monolith with a single commander.
The Conscription Debate
HaTzibur HaHaredi places the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription at the core of its platform, drawing a distinction between full-time yeshiva students and those not engaged in Torah study. Leitner argues that those who do not study should take responsibility and enlist in the IDF.
"Those who do not study Torah must take responsibility and enlist. We will encourage them and respect them," Leitner said. Regarding yeshiva students, he added: "We believe the Torah is the rock of our existence, and it is what has protected us until today... The IDF says it lacks 12,000 fighters? We will provide them by integrating those who are not studying."
