Israel will hold another election in three weeks, but the "partnership alliance" between Yesh Atid leader MK Yair Lapid, Israel Beytenu head Avigdor Lieberman and New Hope chief MK Gideon Sa'ar already appears to be dictating a political agenda focusing almost solely םמ large public gatherings in ultra-Orthodox cities and the number of Haredim returning to Israel on rescue flights from abroad.
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"When the national agenda is the coronavirus," Israel Hayom political commentator Mati Tuchfeld told Jacob Bardugo in the first installment of Israel Hayom's new political podcast, "people on the left side of the political map decided to create an anti-Haredi campaign, even though the morbidity figures in the Arab sector are much higher. On the right, there are candidates who hold votes that would go to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and these could help them establish a left-wing government.
Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich, who joined Bardugo, asked how it the Right holds a two-thirds majority in terms of mandates, but the next government will likely be formed by the Left.
"When the Left is a partner in the government, it sets its tone," he said. "This is why I left [Yamina Chairman Naftali] Bennett, who decided to go to the Left due to personal affronts. So because Netanyahu isn't managing the corona crisis well enough, we'll go to the left and let it set the tone? [Bennett] says he will form a government with Sa'ar, Lapid, [Labor Chairwoman] Merav Michaeli and [Meretz Chairman Nitzan] Horowitz – no goal is more important than that right now."
Smotrich also lambasted the Israeli Beytenu party chairman, accusing him of joining the Left to settle scores.
"He, similar to two or three other parties, will bring the Left, which has almost vanished, back to the government instead of implementing the right-wing majority among the public. Many right-wing voters don't understand this strategy," he said.
Addressing the closure of Ben Gurion Airport, Smotrich criticized as "insulting to journalism" recent reports that most of the passengers returning to Israel on rescue flights are Haredim. "This is the method, to run an exposé about Haredim on Shabbat evening when the Haredim and religious aren't watching."
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