Following the breakdown of the partnership between Ayelet Shaked and Yoaz Hendel earlier, talks between Shaked and Habayit Hayehudi––which she and Naftali Bennett founded in 2013 and abandoned in 2018––were accelerated and it seems that there are agreements between the two sides.
According to a statement from Hbayit Hayehudi on Monday, it appears that an agreement was reached on their mutual independence clause that would allow the Zionist Spirit refugees to run together with Habayit Hayehudi leftovers. According to the emerging agreement, Givat Shmuel mayor and Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Yossi Brodny, and Minister Shaked will each maintain their independence while running together.
Oh, and Habayit Hayehudi stated: “Habayit Hayehudi Party will continue to be the home of hundreds of thousands of members of the national religious public.”
OK, that’s very optimistic even for folks who believe the State of Israel is the start of our redemption. A Sunday Channel 14 survey showed Shaked at 2.4%, below the 3.25% vote threshold. But who knows, maybe there’s some electoral juice left in the old husk of the party that once, as the undisputed successor of the historic NRP, brought in 12 Knesset seats in the 2013 election.
Kipa cited an anonymous Habayit Hayehudi member who accused the party leadership of habitually betraying the cause and the party, starting with Shaked and Bennett. Said member was not more optimistic than us in weighing the new partnership’s chances to make it, and warned against the venture ending with the loss of thousands of votes on the right, votes the right-wing bloc desperately needs to get to 61 mandates.
