Bayit Yehudi leader Rabbi Rafi Peretz announced Sunday evening that he has agreed to cede the leadership of the joint Union Right Wing Parties electoral list to New Right party leader Ayelet Shaked.
Former New Right leader Naftali Bennett had done the same barely a week earlier, acknowledging that the faction would have a better chance of making it into the Knesset – and possibly into a leadership position – by deferring the leadership to the former justice minister.
The consolidated Union is to consist of the New Right party, Bayit Yehudi, National Union and Otzmah.
Thus far, discussions are continuing with Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party, but no clear consensus has been reached and at present it still appears the party will run solo.
In a post on the Twitter social networking site, Peretz wrote that he was “happy to say that I spoke with Ayelet Shaked . . . and we agreed that in deference to our national responsibility and concern for a right-wing government and the religious-Zionist [sector] Ayelet will lead the Union of Right Wing Parties.”
New Right co-founder Bennett was to meet with Peretz later in the evening to reach agreements on the remaining issues for the joint electoral run between their parties.
As it stands now, the list looks like this:
1. Ayelet Shaked, leader, Union of Right Wing Parties
2. Rabbi Rafi Peretz
3. Betzalel Smotrich, leader, National Union party
4. Naftali Bennett, co-founder, New Right party
5 – 10 To be announced after Peretz meets with Shaked.