Orit Struk
Orit StrukFlash 90

The Jewish Home party under Naftali Bennett and the Tekuma / National Union faction within it have yet to reach agreement over Tekuma's part in the list for the coming election.

As negotiations continue, Tekuma's MK Orit Struk told Arutz Sheva that the disagreement is not over the placement of its people in the list, or over matters of honor, but primarily about the religious character of the party.

MK Struk explained that the party is being “overrun” by representatives who do not belong to the religious Zionist sector, much less the hardali (hareidi religious Zionist) stream. The party is thus turning into a Likud B, she said.

"I say with regret that there are more and more signs that Naftali Bennett is not interested in Tekuma and Jewish Home as a united party,” she elaborated. “We functioned together in an excellent way in the last Knesset and while it is true that there are ideological gaps, they can be bridged with mechanims and the same common work methods.”

Struk opined that people near Bennett leaked to the secular press that Tekuma is insisting that the party take instructions from a “council of sages” – but explained that the rabbis in question are from all streams, that their position is a purely advisory one with decisions made by the faction, and that the rabbis have been advising the party for two years already.

Another point of disagreement, she said, is the building freeze in Judea and Samaria: “There was a decision by the faction to protest in front of [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu and walk out of votes in the plenum as long as there was a freeze in Judea and Samaria.” This, she added, was meant to drive home to Netanyahu that for the Jewish Home, a freeze is a red line. The decision was dragged out until in the end the disagreement led to open conflict between Minister [Uri} Ariel and Bennett.”

Struk insisted that she had reached understandings with MK Ayelet Shaked on how the factions can cooperate, and that all Bennett has to do is confirm them.