Rabbi Druckman: Right-wing cannot form government with Ra'am's support
Authoritative rabbi calls on New Hope leader Gidon Saar to break vow not to sit in Netanyahu-led govt. and join the right-wing, religious bloc headed by Netanyahu.
By JEREMY SHARONRabbi Haim Drukman attends the campaign launch of the right-wing Yamina party, ahead of the Israeli general elections, February 12, 2020. (photo credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
Rabbi Haim Druckman, one of the most senior religious-Zionist rabbis in the country, said on Monday that a right-wing, religious government could not rely on support from the Ra’am (United Arab List) Party and called on New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar to join such a coalition instead.Speaking on KAN Radio, the rabbi insisted that there was “no doubt” that the nation had chosen a right-wing government in the election last week, pointing out that 72 seats went to right-wing parties, although these include New Hope and Yisrael Beytenu that are determined to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, and the Yamina Party of Naftali Bennett who has said Netanyahu should be replaced as premier.Druckman, 88, one of the most religiously and politically influential rabbis in the religious Zionist community, also argued that since Likud took 30 mandates, far higher than the next highest party, Yesh Atid on 17, it made the election result an even clearer victory for the right-wing.“Responsible Jews need to cancel their personal will in order to choose who the people want, so that there will be a stable government in Israel,” said Druckman.“A dear and responsible person like Gideon Sa’ar should cancel his principles for the sake of the people,” he continued, arguing that although Sa’ar vowed before the election not to join a Netanyahu-led government, he could go back on that vow “for the sake of the Jewish people and settlement in the Land of Israel and all the values he believes in.”A spokesman for New Hope declined to respond to Druckman’s comments.The rabbi said that despite the lack of other options if Sa’ar would not join, the right-wing religious bloc should not use support from MK Mansour Abbas’ Ra’am party.“Abbas does not recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state,” said the rabbi in explaining his reasoning. “That’s it. He’s not connected to the broad Zionist vision.”Religious Zionist Party leader MK Bezalel Smotrich, who Druckman backed in the election, has publicly ruled out including Ra’am in a coalition or even relying on its support from outside the coalition.Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit Party that ran on a joint list with Religious Zionist Party, has also ruled out any such arrangement.Earlier on Monday, Shas leader Arye Deri announced formally that his party would be backing Netanyahu to form a coalition, saying that it had committed to doing so during the election.“Shas will work toward the establishment of a right-wing government headed by Netanyahu, which will protect the Jewish identity of the state and work for the [economically] weaker sectors [of society],” said Deri.Deri also called on Yamina and New Hope to join a right-wing, religious coalition and to “rise above all other considerations.”
