Posted on 08/03/22
| News Source: i24
The Israeli public 'wants to be freed from religious coercion, rather than perpetuate it'
Most Israeli voters don’t want a government that includes ultra-Orthodox factions such as Shas or United Torah Judaism (UTJ), according to a poll published by the Hiddush NGO.
The findings contrast recent indications that leaders in Israel’s current coalition intend to include UTJ or Shas in a future government as a bid for more allies in parliament.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White: New Hope (BWNH) party, said he is the only public figure that could “unite the house” because he has not been “vetoed” by ultra-Orthodox parties, The Jerusalem Post (The Post) reported.
Yet, a majority of Gantz’s voters oppose his plan, the poll conducted by Smith Research Institute for Hiddush found.