Netanyahu and Smotrich Urge Haredi Party Leader to Withdraw from Elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionism Chairman Bezalel Smotrich are dedicating significant time to persuading Moti Leitner, head of the Haredi Public Party, not to run in the upcoming elections. According to a report by Amit Segal on Channel 12, the two leaders are engaged in lengthy discussions with Leitner, aiming to secure his party's withdrawal and prevent a potential loss of electoral power for their bloc. Netanyahu and Smotrich are reportedly offering Leitner alternative positions within the Knesset, though Leitner himself desires a role as a Knesset member or minister in the next government. While progress has been made in these negotiations, further developments are anticipated. The very effort to convince Leitner highlights concerns about potentially losing thousands, or even tens of thousands, of votes if his party fails to cross the electoral threshold. The Haredi Public Party presents itself as an alternative to established Haredi parties like Shas and United Torah Judaism, notably supporting the conscription of Haredim into the IDF. However, recent polls show the party garnering less than one percent of the vote, falling short of the required threshold. This situation intensifies fears within the bloc of votes being cast but not translated into Knesset representation. Leitner, however, has rejected the idea of withdrawing, stating, "We do not have the privilege to withdraw. We must not withdraw. We have a huge public that expects us to represent them. The drift towards us is immense, we will be the surprise of the elections."