Top Rabbi Greenlights Talks for New Government Led by Gadi Eisenkot

The spiritual leader of the Lithuanian faction of Yahadut HaTorah, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, has agreed to enter negotiations with the "Change Bloc" to form a new government headed by Gadi Eisenkot, the head of the National Unity party and the Knesset member tasked with forming the government. Channel 12 reported that Hirsch informed Haredi negotiators that the primary demand in the talks would be to regulate the legal status of yeshiva students. He stressed the importance of resolving the issue of yeshiva students' status, who are currently considered draft evaders, and deferring budget demands to later stages of the negotiations. Hirsch stated that the most crucial matter now is to resolve the issue of yeshiva students so they are not deemed outlaws. While Hirsch expressed skepticism about reaching understandings with Eisenkot, he indicated a willingness to join a new government if such an agreement were to occur. Separately, Yaakov Asher, the head of the Yahadut HaTorah party, was seen visiting Avigdor Lieberman's office in the Knesset on Wednesday. This visit attracted significant media attention as there are no official negotiations between them, though efforts continue to find a solution for the Haredi draft law and form a "change government." Channel 12 was told that Asher's visit was ostensibly to get coffee from Lieberman after his office ran out.