Yaakov Asher on new Haredi parties: "Wasted votes". Eisenkot? "He will want partners"

MK Yaakov Asher of Degel HaTorah (United Torah Judaism) was interviewed on Wednesday afternoon as part of the "Time for Decision: Democracy and Society" conference held by Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth in collaboration with the Israel Democracy Institute, against the backdrop of recent weeks' preoccupation in the rabbis' homes with refreshing the Knesset list, and the possibility of parting ways with veteran MK Moshe Gafni. Asher did not attach importance to the reports, saying that "according to the publications, it is possible to present Degel HaTorah as one of the largest lists that will be in the Knesset. There are already 15 candidates to replace everyone."

Later in the interview, he addressed the draft exemption law that did not pass, the upcoming elections, and criticized the new Haredi parties. He was asked if he sees Haredim who enlist in the IDF as potential voters for the party, and replied that "everyone who studied in a yeshiva and is in a Haredi home, even if there are people who chose such and such paths, they are part of Haredi society." He argued that even when a Haredi person enlists, he has relatives who are part of one envelope that preserves the "Haredi collective," and according to him, "one of the mistakes being made today is to fight this collective. When you fight the brother of that guy who came to enlist, you hurt him and his motivation to think about other types of things. It is a mistake to take the country to a rift."

MK Asher argued that the state will not succeed in drafting Haredim into the IDF by force, against the backdrop of the government's failure to pass a draft exemption law that regulates the status of yeshiva students: "The Attorney General comes and pressures the public and the police, 'arrest people in the streets, as many as possible,' even though she knows that apart from the protests and the extremist factions, nothing comes of it. And then they hope that they will shout there at the protests and we will shout 'we will die and not enlist,' and then they paint the entire public with this and move to the extreme. That's how this ping-pong game starts. Unequivocally - that's how drafting into the IDF will not happen."

Following the failure to pass the draft exemption law, MK Asher was asked what can be done differently in the next Knesset: "No one knows what will be, maybe a different public atmosphere. No law comes out perfect, and the opposition did not want here, contrary to its interest, for there to be a law. If there is a law, the government strengthens." When confronted with the claim that even parts of the coalition do not want a law at any price and opposed the version that promotes evasion, Asher replied that "some of them already saw their future as blacker than black so they looked for another place. Look at how many people are traveling today from party to party."

According to him, "this type of law, which is going to talk about a million and a half people, if someone thinks that it is possible to pass such a thing without agreement, dialogue, and process, not by force, is throwing sand in the public's eyes. We sat for over 100 meetings, we tried and there was a directive from the great Torah sages - 'bring a law.' We knew that the law is not something we really like and really want, but we knew that we had to reach something, and we pushed it. So Yuli Edelstein ran away because he couldn't stand the pressure." When told that Edelstein was dismissed from his position as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Netanyahu, Asher argued: "He was dismissed because he ran away. He did not promote a version for the committee. And he knows - faith cannot be suppressed by force."

Later he was asked about his belief in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a full term in which despite the promises a draft exemption law did not pass, and if he believes there will be such a law in the next government. "I believe that anyone who wants to be Prime Minister and wants partners for his government, and partners of partners, anyone who wants a stable government will probably want us to be," he replied. He was asked if he would have a problem sitting with Gadi Eisenkot, and said that "I didn't say there is a problem. They are trying to turn us into a fifth column in these elections for election and propaganda purposes."

He also addressed the joining of Yoav Segalovitz to Ra'am: "He is a friend of mine, an excellent public figure whom I disagree with on many things, but he is now moving to Ra'am to come and help the distress of the Arab public. Thunderous applause throughout the left or center-left. He deserves a badge of honor, he is joining to help Arab society. He is entering a party that none of its candidates or its council - not the grandchildren and not their children - served a single day in the army for nationalistic reasons. When it comes to a Haredi person it is for religious reasons, we are not against the state, we have faith that this is what holds us, the Torah is our nuclear reactor. Think if Miki Levy had moved to Degel HaTorah to help the Haredi public - they would have killed him."

In conclusion, he was asked if he believes the event around the exemption law harmed the Haredi parties ahead of the elections, and if they will pay a political price for it. According to him, "whoever harmed bringing the possibility of the draft law, and I say this from all sides, is also those who want to harm our political power. But if you kill your own messenger in addition, then here, we see the phenomenon that exists now, they are trying to establish all kinds of frameworks and scatter votes, not only on the right." After a series of Haredi parties arose such as Achi, "HaKahal" and "HaTzibur HaHaredi," Asher argued that "these small adventures have only one purpose - to waste Haredi votes."