Efforts to form a government involving the Eisenkot-led bloc and the haredi parties are exposing divisions among potential coalition partners. Sources within the bloc have questioned whether Democrats leader Yair Golan and former prime minister Naftali Bennett are committed to reaching an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox parties, while haredi sources see limited prospects for a deal.
The concerns about Golan center on which governing arrangement he favors. According to sources in the bloc, he prefers a minority government backed by the Joint List and Ra’am over a 61-seat coalition that includes the haredi parties. Those sources argue that his position amounts to a clear preference for the minority government option, rather than an effort to preserve both possibilities.
The same sources view the Democrats’ proposed liberal legislation on religion and state as an expression of the party’s substantive ideological commitments. They do not regard the bills simply as gestures toward voters or bargaining tools intended to put pressure on the haredi parties. The differing approaches have become one of the bloc’s first significant internal disputes.
Bennett’s limited public engagement has fueled separate suspicions. His faction released a short statement instead of holding a meeting accessible to the media, leaving journalists without an opportunity to ask questions. Bennett has also continued to keep a low media profile.
Some sources within the bloc suspect Bennett may see another election as an opportunity to improve his position and question his commitment to forming a government. In their assessment, retaining his campaign emphasis on equal participation in military service and opposition to draft evasion could help him in another electoral contest. These remain assessments by sources within the bloc.
Comments from members of Bennett’s electoral list about advancing conscription legislation have prompted further questions. Private discussions within the bloc have reflected concern that prospective partners differ both on the government they want to establish and on the concessions they would accept to bring it about.
Haredi sources say their participation in the discussions is sincere and that they remain willing to examine proposals from the Eisenkot-led bloc. They deny having dismissed the bloc or entered negotiations as a political maneuver. Even so, they consider an agreement unlikely because several disagreements remain unresolved.
Liberman told a faction meeting that Gadi Eisenkot’s negotiating team is handling the discussions with the haredi parties. He said he supports Eisenkot fully, meets with him and coordinates with him, but is not personally leading those talks. Separately, several haredi sources told Maariv that their trust in Liberman is substantially greater than their confidence in Eisenkot and his team.
