Avishai Ben Haim Blames Ultra-Orthodox Community for Right-Wing Election Losses
Journalist Avishai Ben Haim, known for his longstanding support of the ultra-Orthodox sector, has launched a sharp critique against the community, accusing it of causing the right-wing bloc to lose elections. He argues that the collapse of the "rule of the rabbis" has created chaos within the ultra-Orthodox public, which was once considered the most rational and pragmatic politically. This disarray, he claims, is leading both the bloc and the community into uncertainty.
Ben Haim references a theory he published years ago called "Ultra-Orthodox Disintegration," which predicted the breakdown of the ultra-Orthodox governance system centered on a single leading rabbi. He explained that this collapse would undermine Rabbi Steinman's recruitment doctrine, which had protected the ultra-Orthodox for many years.
He further asserts that this disintegration has already contributed to the downfall of the right-wing government in 2019, when the ultra-Orthodox rejected a favorable military draft law once supported by the rabbis. Ben Haim warns that the community's current lack of sensitivity and wisdom risks causing the right-wing bloc to lose power again.