Netanyahu Asks Haredi Party Leader to Withdraw, Cites Need for Reform Support
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Moti Leitner, chairman of the 'Hacharedi Public' party, requesting his withdrawal from the upcoming elections to consolidate the right-wing bloc. Leitner conditioned his withdrawal on commitments from other Haredi parties to support Netanyahu's promised reforms for the Haredi public. The party has not yet decided to withdraw, pending these political assurances.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu asked Haredi Public party chairman Moti Leitner to withdraw from elections.
- Leitner conditioned withdrawal on Haredi parties' support for Netanyahu's promised reforms.
- Netanyahu seeks to prevent vote waste and consolidate the right-wing bloc.
- The meeting occurred after midnight in Petah Tikva.
- No final decision on withdrawal has been made.
With six days remaining until the elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intensifying efforts to consolidate the right-wing bloc by persuading smaller parties unlikely to pass the electoral threshold to withdraw from the race. On Tuesday night, Netanyahu met with Moti Leitner, chairman of the 'Hacharedi Public' party, requesting that he and his party remove their candidacy to prevent a "waste of votes."
The meeting, held after midnight in Petah Tikva at the request of the Prime Minister's office, saw Netanyahu attempt to convince Leitner to drop out. However, Leitner did not immediately agree. According to Leitner, there is no reason to discuss practical steps for withdrawal unless the Haredi parties commit to supporting the reforms Netanyahu has promised to advance for the Haredi public.
"Netanyahu asked me last night to withdraw. I made it clear to him that there is no reason to discuss operational steps when the Haredi parties refuse to commit that they will support the moves and reforms that Netanyahu promised to advance for the Haredi public," Leitner stated. His remarks indicate that while he is not ruling out withdrawal at this stage, he is linking any such decision to political commitments from other Haredi parties.
The possibility of Leitner's party withdrawing remains open, though no practical decision has been made. It remains to be seen whether Netanyahu's efforts will lead to further withdrawals and if a framework can be found for Leitner and his party to remove their candidacy.
