Eitan Kabel: “I Wouldn’t Be Surprised If Netanyahu Decides Not to Run”
Former Knesset member Eitan Kabel said today (Thursday) on 103FM that he would not be surprised if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decides not to run in the next election. He also laid out his views on the Basic Law on Torah study and criticized the government’s conduct and priorities.
Kabel criticized the government’s actions, particularly the proposed Basic Law on Torah study: “There is nothing left to say to anyone who says, ‘We didn’t expect it.’ Once we’ve reached the bottom, no action is surprising, no violence is surprising, there is a sense of total chaos.” He added that “Netanyahu will do everything for the Haredim” and claimed that “the Likud primaries are driving them completely crazy over there, and they have lost all restraint.”
The former lawmaker responded to Trump’s statement that Netanyahu is considering not running in the next election: “There are constantly denials coming out of the conversations between Netanyahu and Trump. Trump confirms it, Netanyahu denies it. I am among those who think that if Netanyahu decides not to run, for reasons I will not go into, I would not be surprised at all. It is absolutely on the agenda.”
On the Basic Law proposal on Torah study by MKs Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, which was approved last night in a preliminary reading, he said: “I hope the next government buries all of these things. When decisions like this or bills like this pass a preliminary reading, and even a first reading, that is where the next process begins.” According to him, “If they have the option to continue, they will continue with it.”
The bill seeks to enshrine in a Basic Law the status of Torah study as a foundational value in the State of Israel. It also proposes that Israel recognize those who choose to devote themselves to long-term Torah study as providing significant service to the state and the Jewish people. The version brought to a vote drew criticism, including over clauses that opponents of the bill say compare the contribution of Torah scholars with that of those serving in the IDF and security forces.
