Smotrich in a message to the Biden administration: "We will enter Rafah and dismantle Hamas, there is no other way"/Walla system!
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri gathered last Thursday for a meeting with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The goal: to put pressure on the chairman of religious Zionism, so that he would agree to add former minister Gideon Sa'ar to the war cabinet, without himself being a part of it. Smotrich refused, but at some point the conversation between the parties heated up to the point of a sharp confrontation, which also touched on the issue of the conscription law "
My public is angry, and rightfully so, for going with the ultra-Orthodox in the recruitment event," said Smotrich, "We paid heavy prices in the current war, we did not receive legal reform, and now they will add Gideon to the cabinet and we will be left out."
Deri, who had a hard time accepting the criticism On the ultra-Orthodox, he did not remain indebted and replied firmly: "You have no other government, you have no alternative.
The ultra-Orthodox had it, and we came to the current government by choice.
If it wasn't for us - you wouldn't be Minister of Finance, and Ben Gvir wouldn't be Minister of National Security.
Even the opinion of our Torah scholars is not comfortable with your ascent to the Temple Mount, yet we are in partnership.
We didn't get a lot of things either."
"If you want elections, say so."
Netanyahu and Smotrich/photo processing, Haim Tzach/L.A.M
The Likud made it clear to him that the attempts were unsuccessful - and he resigned from the government.
Gideon Sa'ar/TPS, Yossi Zeliger
At one point Netanyahu himself joined the pressure on Smotrich, making it clear to him in the closed room: "If we don't bring Gideon in and expand our coalition to 68 seats - there is a danger of elections. If you want elections, tell us here. What is the alternative?"
But Smotrich persisted in his refusal, and did not agree to allow Sa'ar to enter the War Cabinet at his expense.
"I am ready to retire from the limited cabinet," Deri suggested during the conversation, "Gideon will enter, and I will be outside with you."
But even this proposal was of no use to the campaign of persuasion, and the end is known: in Likud they conveyed to Sa'ar a message according to which he would not be allowed to enter the cabinet, despite the attempts to implement the move - and he announced his retirement from the government.
"We are also not comfortable with your ascent to the Temple Mount, we also made concessions."
Shas Aryeh Deri/Flash 90 chairman, Yonatan Zindel
The ultra-orthodox accuse Smotrich of stoking public anger.
Demonstration by members of the Brotherhood in Arms movement against the conscription law/Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel
Smotrich was not the only one who opposed the addition of Sa'ar to the War Cabinet.
In addition to him, Minister Benny Gantz and Minister Itamar Ben Gabir were also opposed, each for his own reasons.
Netanyahu and Deri believed that if they managed to convince the Minister of Finance, it would be easier to convince Ben Gabir in the future.
According to this plan, there was no intention to hold discussions on this with Gantz, but to determine the inclusion of Sa'ar as a fait accompli and to take into account the risk that he will withdraw in the near future, while the coalition already has 68 seats.
But the move, as mentioned, did not materialize.
In Shas and Torah Judaism there is a lot of frustration regarding the conduct of the chairman of religious Zionism in the recruitment issue.
Both parties see him as one of the main culprits in fueling the public atmosphere against the exemption from IDF conscription for the ultra-Orthodox, whose "theory is their art". So far, Smotrich has tried to walk between the cracks, and to manipulate the public anger of his voters with the demands presented by the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox factions; but ministers and Knesset members in his party made it clear Because they will not vote in favor of the conscription exemption law that the government tried to promote, and their statements infuriated the ultra-orthodox parties.
More on the same topic:
Religious Zionism
Bezalel Smotrich
Rival Levin
Benjamin Netanyahu
The conscription law
Haredim recruitment
Gideon Saar