After Goldknopf's Threats, Prime Minister Decides to Strengthen Ties with 'Degel HaTorah' Representatives

For many years, Moti Babchik was considered one of the closest people to Prime Minister Netanyahu, and everyone remembers the famous saying "Where's Babchik?" But recently, relations have soured, especially since the series of threats sent by the Gur Hasidic group against the government and its leader.

Netanyahu, who initially tried to appease and win back Babchik, seems to have given up and decided to invest his time and energy in the Knesset members of 'Degel HaTorah' - who have always been loyal to him, but whom he took for granted.

A senior official in 'Degel HaTorah' claimed tonight (Sunday) in a conversation with 'Kikar HaShabbat' that "it seems that Agudat Yisrael is making mistake after mistake, starting with the published recordings, continuing with his attempts to court Knesset members in United Torah Judaism, and continuing with naive attempts to create a fictitious crisis within United Torah Judaism."

Since most of the criticism was directed at Goldknopf's aide, Moti Babchik, the same source claims that people are beginning to doubt his talent: "He simply doesn't understand politics and doesn't know how to lead real moves, apart from attacks. Without getting into whether this is the Gur Rebbe's opinion, the public perceives it as Babchik's desperate attempt to shout 'keep me relevant,' which is terribly embarrassing, especially since after a pressure campaign he managed to secure only one representative to vote with him."

Either way, Prime Minister Netanyahu gave public expression to this today at a ceremony marking the extension of the light rail line in Jerusalem, attended by senior government officials including Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Health Minister Ofer Buso, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, and Deputy Minister in the Transportation Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office, Uri Maklev.

In his speech, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the challenges facing the government and noted the significant legal and bureaucratic difficulties. He said: "In the State of Israel, there are many challenges, bureaucratic and legal. I want to thank Deputy Minister Uri Maklev, who assists in every way to find creative solutions to the legal challenge in the government."

Netanyahu's remarks were made against the backdrop of tensions between the Prime Minister and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, who also serves as a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, due to delays in advancing the draft law.

While Netanyahu avoided mentioning Goldknopf, he chose to emphasize cooperation with Deputy Minister Maklev, who also holds a position in the Prime Minister's Office. In doing so, it appears that the Prime Minister is positioning Maklev in a more central role in the Prime Minister's Office, while Goldknopf is being pushed aside and his political weight is weakening.

As previously reported in detail last night on 'Kikar HaShabbat', the behind-the-scenes events of the past week were revealed, against the backdrop of a letter issued last Thursday, signed by Minister Goldknopf and Knesset members Tessler and Roth, demanding from Netanyahu that if the draft law does not pass, they will oppose the upcoming budget passage.

According to the report in 'Kikar HaShabbat', last week a delegation of rabbis from the Gur Hasidic group visited the homes of Council members, including the Belz Rebbe, the Boyan Rebbe, the Sanz Rebbe, the Biala Rebbe, and the Slonim Rebbe, and additional Rebbes, in an attempt to persuade them to support the threat that would lead to the dissolution of the government.

Subsequently, the Gur Hasidic group tried to obtain an official decision from the Council of Torah Sages with a real threat to Netanyahu that if the draft law does not pass, they would vote against the budget, which is expected to come to the Finance Committee this week for the start of discussions.

However, most of the Council's Rebbes tended not to support the public threat approach. When it became clear that the Belz Rebbe opposed it, this strengthened their position and led to the overwhelming majority of them making it clear that they did not agree to such a decision.

Due to this decision, Gur ultimately decided to sign a letter calling on Netanyahu to bring the draft law before the budget, with the signatories being Goldknopf, Tessler, and Roth, but the instruction for this was not made in the name of the Hasidic Council.

Earlier this week, sources in United Torah Judaism responded to Goldknopf's threat, claiming: "He has no public responsibility, and all he cares about is his own community, despite explanations that insistence on the law will only cause irreversible damage to the Haredi public."

"Unlike him, who acts only for a certain and specific sector," explained sources in United Torah Judaism, "we have basic public responsibility. There is no way to advance such a law in its current state. So before he presents himself as the savior and redeemer of the Torah world, and as one who cries out in the name of the Torah world, let him tell the public the truth... what exactly is he promoting."

On the other hand, those in Goldknopf's circle don't understand the commotion and why the anger is directed at him now, stating that "Goldknopf is carrying out the will of the Gur Rebbe, who wants to advance the draft law, so if representatives have issues, they should approach the Rebbe and not the messenger who is fulfilling his holy will." They claim, "Goldknopf is the 'Shabbos goy' of all the Haredi parties; he says aloud what everyone says quietly. He's the one who ultimately cares for the Torah world, and the truth is there's nothing to be done in such a government."