The chairman of the Jewish Home party, Hagit Moshe, and the chairman of the Religious Zionist party, MK Bezalel Smotrich, met last night (Tuesday) for negotiations ahead of a joint run in the elections for the 24th Knesset.
The two discussed steps towards unity between the parties, and the meeting was conducted, according to the parties, in a good spirit.
Moshe and Smotrich reached an agreement to run together in the upcoming elections, but no progress was made due to a disagreement over who would receive the senior portfolio if the party entered a coalition after the elections.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
According to a News 12 poll published last night, Religious Zionism led by Smotrich receives 2.21% of support, Otzma Yehudit with 2.11%, and Bayit Hayehudi with only 0.31%.
Despite this embarrassing statistic, and the large gap between the parties, Hagit Moshe presented Smotrich with an outline according to which if Jewish Home leads the list, then 'Religious Zionism' receives the senior portfolio, and if 'Religious Zionism' leads the list - then Jewish Home receives the senior portfolio.
Smotrich, of course, refused to accept the outline.
According to Hagit Moshe's associates, this is the same outline that Smotrich proposed to Rabbi Rafi Peretz about a year ago. "As soon as Smotrich receives the outline, it will be possible to sign a joint running agreement within an hour and go out on the election campaign together," they said.
Hagit Moshe said at the end of the meeting: "As I promised, I am working for true unity between the parties and will continue to work for unity. Now the ball is in Bezalel Smotrich's hands, and if he is interested in signing, we can accept the outline that he himself proposed a year ago and immediately sign a joint running.".
