Behind the Netanyahu-United Torah Judaism-Shas deal, both sides are testing each other

A day of intense coalition maneuvering in the Prime Minister’s Office ended Tuesday with a limited bargain between Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties, after a morning show of anger was followed by a closed three-way meeting. The article says the Haredi leaders initially canceled their participation in a coalition chiefs meeting, but by afternoon Netanyahu, Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafni were meeting privately for an hour.

The Haredi side came in with four demands, the kosher bill, the daycare bill, a Basic Law on Torah study, and a split from the draft law that would halt arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders. Before the meeting, Gafni received a clear instruction from Rabbi Dov Lando to narrow the agenda to just two items, the Basic Law on Torah study and ending arrests of deserters. The other two issues, kosher and daycare, were dropped.

At the end of the meeting, the sides appeared to have reached a deal, the Haredim would advance their two chosen bills, and in return Netanyahu’s coalition would move ahead with a national inquiry commission bill, a communications bill, and legislation separating the attorney general’s role. The Haredi camp insists this is not a deal but the familiar Netanyahu formula, “They will give, they will receive. If they do not give, they will not receive.”

The mood on Wednesday was mixed. Shas and Deri were said to be optimistic that Netanyahu would keep his word, while Gafni and the Ashkenazi camp were more skeptical and feared they would be stalled again. The pressure is real, but limited, because the Knesset is expected to dissolve on July 17 anyway. If that happens, elections would be held on October 27, though Netanyahu wants October 20 and needs Haredi support for the dissolution bill.

Another possible point of leverage is the vote for state comptroller. The article says that if the High Court orders new elections, and Netanyahu wants attorney Michael Ravilo elected, he will need the Haredi votes. The Haredi parties say they will watch closely, with next week’s committee agenda expected to provide the first indication of whether the promises are being implemented.