Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister and Security Cabinet member Ze’ev Elkin launched a sharp attack Monday against Israel’s center-left parties, accusing them of turning opposition to the chareidi community into a central political ideology and questioning whether they could ever form a coalition with the chareidi parties.

In an interview, Elkin argued that hostility toward the Torah world has become deeply ingrained within the center-left camp.

“When you look at the center-left camp, you see the level of hatred they have for the Torah world,” Elkin said. “They have taken the chareidi issue and turned it into an ideology of hatred. Even beyond the debate over military service, they have convinced the public that the reason to oppose Netanyahu and the right is because the chareidim are there.”

Elkin also addressed recent speculation about possible political cooperation between the chareidi parties and Yisrael! chairman Gadi Eisenkot, who recently discussed the subject in an interview.

“You see who Eisenkot’s partners are in his political bloc, and you also know where he himself stands,” Elkin said. “When you strip everything away, do you really think there is any version of a draft law that would be acceptable to the chareidim, Lieberman, and Lapid?”

Elkin’s remarks came amid the ongoing political storm surrounding the Basic Law: Torah Study, which received final Knesset approval Monday, and as fierce debate continues over legislation governing the status of bnei yeshivah.

Earlier this week, Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman reiterated that his party would not join any coalition that includes Shas and insisted on what he described as “a draft law for everyone.”

Returning to the issue of the opposition’s attitude toward the chareidi community, Elkin again argued that anti-chareidi sentiment has become one of the defining themes of the center-left’s political message.

“I think that when you look at the center-left camp, you see the hatred they have for the Torah world at the most basic level,” Elkin said. “They have turned it into a central issue in their campaign.”

{Matzav.com}