Bibi Meets With Rav Mordechai Eliyahu

Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu met with former Chief rabbi Rav Mordechai Eliyahu this morning as part of his efforts to forge a coalition. During the closed meeting, which took place at Rav Eliyahu’s Yerushalayim home and ran for over an hour, Rav Eliyahu called on Netanyahu to work toward changing the situation whereby religious educational institutions “have to beg for their lives.” He urged the Likud leader to place the issue, as well as the settlement enterprise, high on the next government’s list of priorities.The former chief rabbi also asked Netanyahu to assist the settlers who were evacuated from Gush Katif during the IDF’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

Meanwhile, some Likud officials have criticized Netanyahu for promising to allocate key portfolios to Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu, while others said he had no choice in the matter.

“Netanyahu had to play the political game to make certain Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu would recommend to President Shimon Peres that he be tasked with establishing the next government.

“Likud still hold the finance, defense and education portfolios,” a party official said.

{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/Ynet}