After lengthy negotiations, religious Zionist parties Habayit Hayehudi and National Union have agreed to run on a joint list with the far-right Otzma Yehudit party headed by activist Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been advocating for the merger to avoid a scenario in which small right-wing parties fail to pass the minimum electoral threshold, thereby losing votes for the camp as a whole. On Wednesday, Netanyahu canceled a planned trip to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to use his influence to help form a right-wing bloc.
Netanyahu finally reached a deal with a Habayit Hayehudi that promised the party two portfolios in the next government (unofficially, the education and construction and housing ministries). In exchange, Habayit Hayehudi agreed to allocate the fifth and eighth places on the joint list to candidates from Otzma Yehudit. The decision angered many on the religious Right who oppose Ben-Gvir's radical agenda.
At certain points on Wednesday, it appeared that Habayit Hayehudi might not approve the deal. Netanyahu summoned party leaders Rafi Peretz and Moti Yogev to his office and the three spent several hours working on an agreement that would make it worthwhile for Habayit Hayehudi to join forces with a party it sees as radical. By Thursday evening, a deal had been hammered out.
In addition to the two portfolios promised to Habayit Hayehudi, the deal promises to expand an existing law that would allow an MK appointed to a ministerial post to resign from the Knesset and be replaced by another MK from his or her party. The deal also calls to reserve the 28th spot on the Likud list for a candidate from Habayit Hayehudi.
Netanyahu said that the election would be a choice between a left-wing government under Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Israel Resilience leader Benny Gantz or a right-wing government under his own leadership.
"I congratulate the representatives of Habayit Hayehudi and National Union for demonstrating national responsibility to the state of Israel and successfully closing rank to ensure that right-wing votes are not lost," Netanyahu said.
Peretz said at a party meeting to approve the agreement that "it should be clear – Otzma Yehudit do not share my beliefs. They are not from my school [of thought]. We have different, sometimes opposing, worldviews. So I have refused, and still refuse, to unite with them, but I accept them as guests. This is a technical, short-term agreement and after the election, we will go our separate ways."
"When the house is on fire, and that's how I feel, I don't inspect the person who comes to help me put the fire out. The agreement isn't ideal, but we have the good of the people and the good of Israel in mind," Peretz said.
Peretz also spoke up against his predecessor in Habayit Hayehudi, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who along with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked left the party to establish the New Right.
"There are those who are trying to destroy our home. Bennett planned to bring the roof down on the heads of the people in it. Just before the election, he left the cockpit in the hope that our aircraft would crash and acted against all the values of religious Zionism.
"Naftali, what you did was an anti-Jewish act. That's not how someone who grew up in religious Zionism behaves. So voting for him [Bennett] is a vote against the values of religious Zionism," Peretz said.
Peretz's party colleague, Deputy Defense Minister and Eli Ben-Dahan, said at the meeting: "We've heard what the public wants. Until yesterday [Tuesday] evening, I was also against the deal. I changed my mind because according to many of the polls we won't make it over the minimum threshold without Otzma Yehudit."
Habayit Hayehudi candidate Yifat Erlich, who was No. 3 on the list, resigned from the party on Thursday over her opposition to the deal.
"It never occurred to me what crazy pressure there would be in this system, what spins and aggression and even threats there would be. Netanyahu can make a lot of promises. We're happy about his promises and would be happy to be part of a coalition he might assemble, but we are asking him to let us run our own party," Erlich said.
"I've gotten messages that clearly said, 'Stay strong, don't give in to polls, hold your ground.' The Habayit Hayehudi base is saying that they can't accept a merger with Otzma Yehudit," she said.
Chairman of the party's council of branches Amiad Taub said, "I am calling on Rabbi Rafi Peretz to stay strong against Netanyahu. For two weeks, he's been taking us for a ride in the media and trying to scare us. I'm not scared. There is no doubt that Habayit Hayehudi and National Union will pass the minimum threshold, and by a lot. We'll return to religious Zionism, without being afraid."
National Union chairman Bezalel Smotrich said: "U.S. President Donald Trump's 'deal of the century' [for peace between Israel and the Palestinians] will soon be placed on Netanyahu's desk. The not-so-distant past has taught us one thing – the Likud cannot be trusted and the pro-disengagement list and Bennett's 'Yesh Atid refugees' aren't the safest bet, either. So we decided to run with Otzma Yehudit and ensure that no right-wing vote is lost."
"True, the merger is unnatural for us, but in times like these, the danger is simply too great. The slanderous campaigns and ugly spins that are still to come about religious Zionism as a result of the [new] bloc are to be expected. But it's just a technical bloc. On April 10 [the day after the election], we'll separate as friends and Habayit Hayehudi-National Union will continue to represent the true and only path of religious Zionism," Smotrich said.
