Report: Jacky Ben Zaki Mediating Unprecedented Lieberman-Haredi Deal
Israel's political deadlock prompts unprecedented coalition talks as businessman Jacky Ben Zaki reportedly mediates a potential alliance between Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Haredi factions, under which Lieberman could become Prime Minister.
Two weeks after the polling stations closed for the Knesset elections, Israel's political map remains deadlocked, lacking a decisive outcome or an obvious path to a 61-seat majority. As parties engage in intense coalition talks to avert a fresh round of elections, the political paralysis is reportedly breeding unprecedented alliances.
According to a report broadcast by Reshet 13, businessman Jacky Ben Zaki, owner of the F.C. Ashdod football club and a figure close to Haredi circles, has stepped in as a key behind-the-scenes mediator.
Mediators and Political Bridges
Ben Zaki, widely known as a prominent figure in real estate and commerce alongside his sports affiliations, maintains extensive personal ties across Israel's political and municipal spectrums. Reports indicate that Ben Zaki is working to bridge the profound chasm between Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and the Haredi factions—an alliance long viewed as a political impossibility.
Alongside Ben Zaki, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and political adviser Avi Abuchatzira are reportedly involved in the mediation axis. On the Haredi side, key negotiators include Moti Babchik, a senior confidant of outgoing Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, and David Shapira, a prominent figure in the Degel HaTorah leadership.
The Proposed Coalition Outline
Under the dramatic framework currently taking shape, Avigdor Lieberman would be appointed Prime Minister, in exchange for granting the Haredi parties significant achievements on core legislative and social issues.
Key provisions of the emerging deal include halting the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders and establishing a dedicated committee to examine military and national service obligations with a specific emphasis on the Arab sector, a move intended to shift public pressure away from the Haredi community. In parallel, United Torah Judaism is slated to secure two of the government's most powerful executive portfolios: the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Construction and Housing.
While these intense contacts underscore how the current coalition negotiations are shattering conventional political boundaries, it remains unclear whether such an arrangement can withstand scrutiny from Lieberman's traditional secular base or win the endorsement of the Haredi Councils of Torah Sages.
