United Torah Judaism chairman MK Moshe Gafni on Thursday morning attacked the Religious Zionist Party and accused them of preventing Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government.
In an interview with Yaron Dekel and Haim Levinson on Reshet Bet radio, Gafni protested too much and then some, saying: “We go with the right-wing bloc, we do not zigzag. We are neither Yamina nor Religious Zionism. The government seat is not our priority. They will not buy us with a seat.”
Gafni then returned to his favorite gripe of the past month or so: “Netanyahu went to the elections and took votes from us to give to Religious Zionism. He put Smotrich and Ben-Gvir back on their feet again. Without him, they would not have passed the threshold percentage, and on the spot, they announced what they announced and prevented him from forming a government.”
Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich, was quick to respond in unkind, citing a Biblical verse: “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a dullard repeats his folly (Proverbs 26:11).”
“Dullard,” in case you went to school after 1960, is a simpleton, a nitwit, an imbecile, or just an idiot.
“The entire nation of Israel has sobered up during the riots of recent weeks and realized that a government based on supporters of terrorism must not be formed,” Smotrich continued, “Only Gafni remains blind and detached.” Or, to cite Bava Batra 12b: “Like a blind man inside a chimney.”
Gafni also attacked New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar, saying: “I have serious complaints against him. We have had many conversations following which I was accused by him of being a leftist who did not care about the Land of Israel. Now, I may not the biggest right-winger on political issues, but I suddenly hear from Sa’ar that there is something more important than the Land of Israel – his conflict he has with Netanyahu. This is also more important to Bennett and all the right-wingers who preached to me about the Land of Israel.”
Interviewer Levinson asked Gafni: “You are committed to the Council of Torah Sages, why not ask them whether to enter the government with Yair Lapid instead of being in opposition, to save what you can for the Haredim?”
Gafni replied: “I will not ask this question because I know the answer they would give me, and it’s negative.”
On the possibility of sitting in opposition, Gafni said: “I want to be in the coalition but I’m not afraid of the opposition. But in my opinion, there won’t be a government, I do not see Bennett together with [Labor chairwoman] Merav Michaeli.”