People are very angry at the new united party of the right wing religious sector, though I am not sure I understand what happened that was so bad.

Habayit Hayehudi led by Rav Rafi Peretz made a deal with Otzma Yehudit to run together. Smotritch and Ichud Leumi then went to Bennett and Yamina to try to make a deal to run together, and they figured it out. So, there were then two parties, each made up of a union of two parties, and all was good. It seemed like both would easily pass the threshold and no votes would be wasted.

Somehow that was not good enough and people were pushing the two to unite, putting all four together. I am not sure why this was necessary. Bennett refused to consider bringing Otzma Yehudit into his party, so he began talking to Peretz but only about Habayit Hayehudi joining Yamina, leaving Otzma behind. Other people got involved and put a lot of pressure on Peretz, and int he end he decided to make a deal with Bennett, joining Habayit Hayehudi with Yamina, leaving tzma out. So now there is one party made up of 3 parties together, and another party by itself that likely does not have enough to pass the threshold on its own.

This entire exercise seems like a bad idea to me, but the pressure was on front he start and that's what the parties decided the people wanted.

So now many are upset at Peretz for going back on his word and abandoning his deal with Otzma. I don't see it as such a big deal, sorry as it is to have happened, but many are saying this is the end of Peretz's political career and he can no longer be trusted. Others are upset at Bennett, though I have no idea for what. He did not do anything except join with other parties to ensure votes are not wasted. Bennett did not break any deals, Peretz did.

If anybody can explain to me what each party did wrong that was so bad, so bad that it makes these parties not worth voting for, I would appreciate it.

We are going to continue to compete in the elections..Netanyahu should not preach morality to us - if he would have abandoned his seat, we would have had a right wing government a long time ago..

  -- Itamar Ben Gvir, after the Yamina deal with Habayit Hayehudi that left Otzma Yehudit on its own and Netanyahu then called on Ben Gvir to drop out so as nto to harm the ability of the right wing to form a government

The Pirates submit their party list to the electoral board for the March 2 elections

Because the fate of the nation and of the land is balanced on a scale, I announce that for the sake of unity and for the victory of the Right I will remove the picture [of Baruch Goldstein] from my living room..

  -- Itamar Ben Gvir, after Naftali Bennett said he won't include Ben Gvir in his party list because Ben Gvir has a picture of Goldstein hanging in his living room..

MK Gadi Yavarkin just tried to play dirty. Yavarkin is an MK in Kachol Lavan. I should say "was", not "is". The Likud has been courting him because they are trying to solidify the Ethiopian vote.

The Likud offered Yavarkin the 20th spot on the Likud list. Yavarkin, #33 in Kachol Lavan, went back to his bosses and tried to negotiate a higher spot in Kacho Lavan in exchange for staying, or else he'll take the Likud offer.

Gantz and Yaalon conferred (Yavarkin was a member of Yaalon's faction) and threw him out of the list for talking with the Likud about switching allegiances. Good move on their part. Nobody needs a disloyal member.

Now the Likud just approved inserting Yavarkin at slot #20 on the list.

I wonder who will lose out because of it, though possibly nobody because Moshe Kachlon has said he won't be running so abandoning his spot should balance out against Yavarkin taking a spot.

I did not realize that so many people in Lakewood are going to the Superbowl that this is an issue... he's talking about going to the stadium, as he says specifically, not even just watching the game on the computer or television..

According to news reports, PM Netanyahu has threatened Ministers Naftali Bennett and Betzalel Smotritch. The threat is that if they do not come to a full unity agreement with the other right wing parties (Habayit Hayehudi and Otzma Yehudit) and run together as one unit he will fire them from their ministries - Bennett will lose the Defense Ministry and Smotritch will lose the Transportation Ministry.

I am not surprised. This sector, politically, has always been Netanyahu's punching bag, but they almost always do what he wants.

I would like Bennett and Smotritch to respond with their own threats about not supporting him for Prime Minister or for forming the coalition. They don't really have another choice (they do, just like everybody has a choice, but let's say they don't), but on the other side the Arabs don't have a choice either and they are not in anyone's pocket. The Haredi parties don't get treated like this because they could theoretically sit with any candidate, even though recently they have chosen not to. If the dati leumi parties would not act like Netanyahu is their only option, he might treat them with a little more respect.

And they should tell Netanyahu to bring Otzma into Likud, or else....

Larissa Trimbobler, the wife of Yigal Amir, submitted her official papers today for her new party to run in the upcoming national elections. Their platform is simply that Yigal Amir should be given a new trial.

The new party is called Mishpat Tzedek. Larissa says secret things connected to the justice system and to the entire institution have become known.

Mishpat Tzedek is a one-issue party, but the one issue is not as narrow as their focus makes them seem. They are focused on Yigal Amir but they will support a retrial for anyone who deserves one - for anybody innocent sitting in jail.

Whatever that means.

All jails are full of innocent people. Just ask the people in jail and most of them will tell you they are innocent.

I am not quite sure how being involved in politics will get someone in jail a new trial after already having one, but I guess if she can convince about 140,000 or so people by March 2 that this is the most important issue of the day I guess we'll find out...

All the local news media sites have announced what is very big news for Bet Shemesh.

After years of working on various solutions to bring some form of a hospital to Bet Shemesh, we finally have success!

Mayor of Bet Shemesh Dr Aliza Bloch announced yesterday that an agreement has been signed with Hadassah Medical Center to build an expanded medical center in Bet Shemesh. Construction is due to begin within 18 months.

The expanded medical center will includes clinic for specialists, outpatient, dialysis, imaging, operating rooms and emergency care. It does not say it on the Shemesh report, but I saw elsewhere (dont remember where) that this is just the first stage of the plan and the second stage includes a birthing center.

This is big news for Bet Shemesh!