Lieberman promised lenient draft bill for Haredi support of Jerusalem mayoral candidate
In recordings made public by Yedioth Ahronoth, Moshe Leon claims Defense Minister Lieberman made sure most influential ultra-Orthodox rabbis support the mayoral candidate in upcoming elections in exchange for a draft bill, not formulated by defense establishment and more suitable for Haredim.
In the recordings, Leon can be heard describing a meeting that allegedly took place between Lieberman, Yaakov Litzman—who heads Agudat Yisrael, and Moshe Gafni from United Torah Judaism—intended to coordinate positions on the matter.
Leon also implied that Lieberman's claim that the IDF draft law is formulated by the defense establishment is only a strategic move, and in reality Lieberman is able to maneuver the establishment according to his political needs.
The mayoral candidate also sounded extremely worried regarding a possibility that this knowledge will be made public.
On the eve of Yom Kippur, some of the most prominent Lithuanian rabbis, as well as rabbies affiliated with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party—headed by its spiritual leader Rabbi Shalom Cohen, unexpectedly announced their support for Leon’s candidacy.
On Thursday, a rare event is due to take place in Jerusalem, during which, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, the two most influential Lithuanian rabbis, are expected to further promote Leon’s candidacy.
The support is considered surprising due to the fact that the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yossi Deitch, is also running for the position.
Moshe Leon issued an official statement in response, claiming the remarks he made during the meetings with the activists had been taken out of context.
"Knowing the facts, it is clear to me, as it is clear to every reader, that these are things that were taken out of context. I am proud of the deep friendship I have with the defense minister and I intend to win the race in order to take care of Jerusalem and its residents,” he exclaimed.
