A lot of people are wondering why Ayelet Shaked is so insistent on running and not dropping out, considering the polls showing her not crossing the threshold, and not even close to it.

Photo credit: Avishag Shaar Yashuv

Jonathan Pollard today put out a rare political statement. Pollard came out supporting Ayelet Shaked and asking people to vote for her, noting she made mistakes in the past but he believes she has acknowledged her errors and will not repeat them

This situation with MK Betzalel Smotritch (Hatzionut Hadatit), and some others, bothers me.

I know the issue is far more complicated than my initial take, but my initial take is still what it is.

yes, Daylight Savings Time is back in the news again with attempts to adjust it. it was so nice when it was set in law for the long term and it did not become a fight year after year as to when the clocks should be adjusted. It seems those days are over. 

What [Gafni] said was an unfortunate statement, it was crossing a red line... I think politicians should not lose their self control on the Knesset podium.. he later apologized, but this is something no politician should say. one can say very sharp criticism, but not speak like this...it is not for naught that I need a security detail - as Minister of Interior I should normally not get such security, but there is incitement...saying things like this is crossing lines.

and the exact opposite of Pindrus's statement that won PotD is Ayelet Shaked's tweet:

מי שנכנע בהר הבית במערכה הראשונה מקבל טילים על ירושלים במערכה השניה.
זו או נחישות או רפיסות.

— איילת שקד Ayelet Shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) May 10, 2021

It is not worth wasting a vote on a party that is scraping the edge of the minimum threshold - it is too dangerous

We are in the middle of one long electoral system. It would be better to just end it, go to elections and finish with the whole thing in 3 months.

MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) commented on the death of RBG, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, praising her for her strength and feminism and leadership, while at the same time saying there would be no room for someone like her on the Israeli Supreme Court.

Back in the days of Oslo Ayelet Shaked was doing kabalat shabbat in kindergarten - if they even had that where she was..

  -- Minister Aryeh Deri, responding to a warning from Shaked. After Shas put out a campaign video accusing many in the right wing bloc of not supporting Netanyahu yet Shas supports him more than the rest, Shaked warned Deri and Shas that if he continues this track of attacking within the bloc they'll start pulling out the clips against Shas, including how Shas supported the Oslo agreement...

UPDATE:
funnily enough, Shaked responded to Deri's quip/insult with a tweet of a picture of herself as Ima shel Shabbat in 1980..

1980#אמאשלשבת pic.twitter.com/6SIb7WbZOi

— איילת שקד ayelet shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) January 27, 2020

There is an interesting battle going on, and it is centered on the Ministry for Religious Affairs.

Despite the fact that the government has only been a caretaker government for nearly a year, with no coalition and already two rounds of elections behind us with a third on the way, political parties are making their demands for what ministries they expect to receive authority over in a future government, as a condition for entering a coalition, and others are fighting about what ministries to be given now, even in just a temporary capacity..

The most interesting of these is the "New Right", Yamina, led by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. Both have made statements that they will demand as a condition for entry into a future coalition both the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Bennett said he would appoint a professional appointment to this position rather than a political appointment), and the election of a Zionist rabbi to the Chief Rabbinate.

Shas, currently in control of this ministry and having been in control of this ministry for many years in recent history, has responded with attacks on Bennett. They scoff at the size of his party wondering why he thinks such a small party should get it. They scoff at Bennett, the current Defense Minister, asking if he is willing to trade the Defense Ministry for the Religious Affairs Ministry. They attack him for being responsible for the elections by not uniting with other parties and not passing the threshold thus wasting many right wing votes. They attack Bennett for not treating the ministry properly when he did control it. Basically, Shas is fighting back saying they want to keep this ministry and Bennett can't/shan't take it away from them.

On the one hand, the fight is silly, especially in context of the current difficulty in forming a government. Maybe they need to focus on campaigning, bringing in votes, uniting with other parties to ensure they pass the threshold, and whatever else is part of an election campaign. Talking about future coalitions and jobs is a bit premature at this point.

On the other hand, it excites the electorate. people love some good political sparring. people love some good fighting, some good arguing. This wakes everyone else up. Maybe he deserves it, maybe not. Maybe Shas deserves it, maybe not. That does not matter. This type of a fight can be good to wake people up and excite them and get things moving. I would not be surprised if it was even coordinated between the two parties, as it is really good for both of them.

I am not even sure why the Yamina party would even want the position, besides for just to create the excitement of a fight. They talk about being religious "lite" and more right of a party than religious, so if they are going to remain small and only deserve one or two ministries, it seems that Religious Affairs would not be their focus.

This is similar to the Likud primary. Saar is great for putting his neck on the line against Bibi, but nobody expects him to even get close to winning. The primary seems like a big waste of time and resources, but it is great for the Likud electorate. This is a good energizer for them and will give them momentum into the campaign for the general elections.

More than the State of Israel needs the haredim in the army, it needs them in the workforce. Therefore it is important to create for them a track that does not obligate them to stay in the yeshivot, even someone who is not really learning, but will let them go out into the workforce..

  -- MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina)

she is 100% correct, but how do you do that without resolving the army issue? If you just give a blanket exemption to all haredim, suddenly many other people in Israeli society will be saying they dont want to do army service and why should one be automatically exempt and not the other? That is besides for people claiming they are haredi when they are not, just to get out of service There also has to be some modicum of fairness, of shared and equal responsibility, built into the system - perhaps the blanket exemption will be replace dwith some other form of service such as National Service or Civil Service, though those tracks already exist and arent utilized either all that much.. so I am not sure how this can be accomplished

Translation:

As the holiday concludes and a moment before the second hakafot begin, I want to tell you about something that moved me this morning. I went with my family to the hakafot in the Heichal Hachaim shul of Neve Avivim. This is a Sephardic shul founded by Avner Sharki z"l, among others. A valuable Jew who at one time was the head of the Mafdal. From there we went to the new shul of Ramat Aviv Gimmel. At the opening ceremony of the shul I had promised to come back during the holidays, and the time has arrived to fulfill the promise.Now, listen well to the following piece of information, as it is amazing, in my eyes, and also gives me goosebumps. Ramat Aviv Gimmel is the neighborhood with the highest Jewish population in the world that had no shul, and this year a shul was opened there, after tens of years of trying unsuccessfully amid many struggles. This is a shul of sephardim and Ashkenazim together. Shai Agnon in Tmol Shilshom prophesied that this day would eventually arrive - there won't be a single neighborhood without a shul". And now, behold, a shul has been inaugurated here.When I went into the shul, just at that moment, there was a group of children that stood on the platform and sang the prayer for the welfare of the IDF soldiers to the tune of Eretz Tzvi. Their singing was fabulous and special. I had goosebumps. I am confident that next year, during the holidays, this shul will be packed with people, and I have no doubt that the prayer of the children will be accepted and arrive in the highest of worlds, just as it entered our hearts.

I would point out that Ayelet Shaked is not religious...

A married couple does not re-affirm the ketuba every week

  -- MK Ayelet Shaked (Yemina), regarding the histancy of Yemina to sign another commitment agreement obligating Yemina, once again, to only support Netanyahu for Prime Minister

I hope the Likud won't attack us - we are natural partners of the Likud - but only the small parties that won't pass the minimum threshold. The religious community needs to understand that every vote for a party that does not pass the minimum threshold is like a vote for the Left..

  -- Ayeley Shaked, head of Yemina

this is the pot calling the kettle black...