Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enlisted rabbis to pressure MK Yinon and the Noam party to either merge or bow out, warning the coalition cannot afford to lose any votes, according to a report Wednesday by Channel 12 journalist Daphna Liel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recruited rabbis to pressure MK Yinon and the Noam party to accept a merger or exit the race, according to Daphna Liel of Channel 12. The report, published Wednesday afternoon, quotes Netanyahu telling the rabbis: "Either unite, or you will not be in the race. I ask for your help in this effort. We cannot lose even one vote."
Noam is a small religious-Zionist party that held one seat in the last Knesset. Its current MK, Yinon, has resisted calls from the right to merge with larger factions, fearing loss of ideological independence. Netanyahu's move signals growing concern within Likud about vote-splitting on the right, which could cost the bloc a seat and complicate coalition formation. The Zioneer has reported on Likud's broader efforts to secure the right flank, including internal pressures on smaller parties.
The report is based on a single source and has not been independently corroborated. No official response from the Prime Minister's Office or the Noam party has been reported. The development is in its early stages, and it remains unclear how the rabbis will respond to the prime minister's request.
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