A Guest Post by Dr Harold Goldmeier

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..