On Monday, the pro-Zionist faction of UTJ began a campaign attacking the Yamina party and specifically the Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The attack came partly following the rumor that Smotrich allowed the Women of the Wall to set up a Tefillin Booth at the Savidor Train Station in Tel Aviv, a rumor which was refuted by Smotrich’s office.

The UTJ campaign wrote: “The Yamina party has lost its direction, and the values of Torah and Halacha have simply disappeared.”

Following the publication of the campaign, Smotrich rebuked the leader of the UTJ party Moshe Gafne and threatened that he would take out of the archive the news where Gafne capitulated to the Christian Caucus at the Knesset Finance Committee and begin spreading it through the media. He also threatened to spread around Gafne’s comments where he sided with left-wing politicians, most notably, MK Ahmed Tibi.

UTJ wised up and rebuked those responsible for the campaign and those in charge of the Zionist faction of the party. They even went so far as to promise Smotrich an apology on behalf of the faction.

Kikar HaShabbat News site stated that there is tension within UTJ with regard to how to properly approach the Zionist camp and sway them to vote for UTJ. While some believe the party should campaign with full force within the Zionist camp, Gafne believes that a more subtle approach would benefit the party more so as to avoid direct conflict with Zionist parties such as Yamina.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)