Bereaved Families Urge Haredi Parties to Demand West Bank Control in Coalition Talks
The HaBayta forum of bereaved families has urged Haredi party leaders to leverage their political power in coalition talks to secure Israeli control over Judea and Samaria, warning of severe security threats to central cities.
The "HaBayta" forum, representing bereaved families, has sent an official letter to the leaders of Haredi political parties, requesting an urgent meeting ahead of upcoming coalition negotiations. The forum urges Haredi lawmakers to leverage their political influence to secure full Israeli control over Judea and Samaria, warning that failure to do so poses an existential threat to central Israeli cities and risks a repeat of the October 7 massacres.
Signed by forum leaders Eliav Libby and Yehoshua Sherman, the letter appeals to the religious leadership by invoking the core Jewish principle of saving lives. "The Torah of Israel sanctifies life and dictates that the preservation of life supersedes all else," the authors wrote. They argued that as the guidelines of the next government are being formulated, leaders face a critical matter of life and death stemming from the security situation in Areas A and B.
The bereaved families warned that current policies leave open areas in Judea and Samaria vulnerable, enabling armed operatives to build strength just minutes away from cities such as Kfar Saba, Rosh HaAyin, Netanya, and other metropolitan centers. Characterizing the situation as a clear and present danger, the letter stresses that the nation must not wait for another tragedy to take action.
The forum calls on Haredi party chiefs to utilize their political power to demand a fundamental shift in government policy, specifically calling for the cancellation of the Oslo Accords' territorial divisions and the restoration of Israeli governance and settlement in the West Bank's open spaces. Libby and Sherman requested an urgent meeting to present comprehensive threat maps detailing the risks to central Israel and to secure the parties' backing for this national security effort.
