Olmert wants to reach out to settlers
צילום: רויטרס
Olmert seeks bridge to settlers
Acting PM to use religious members of Kadima in bid to initiate dialogue with moderate members of Religious Zionist camp
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is embarking on a fresh attempt to build bridges to moderates within the Religious Zionist camp, Ynet has learned.
The attempt, which follows the violent clashes between settlers and police during the evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Amona, will involve reaching out to Religious Zionists who do not feel at home in the newly united National Union and National Religious Party (NRP) list.
Olmert hopes the dialogue will prevent violence in future evacuations of illegal outposts.
In recent days, talks have been held between religious Kadima party members and Olmert, ahead of the attempt to reach out to settlers.
Participants of the talks told Ynet the dialogue may result in Kadima safeguarding the interests of Religious Zionism in the next government, "by guarding the values of religion and tradition on the one hand, and the running of the country as a democratic state on the other."
One of the participants in the talks is preparing to speak with central figures in the Religious Zionist camp who hope to take part in the leadership of their public together with the next government.
One of Kadima's religious candidates, Otniel Schneller, was a former leader of the Yesha Council. He believes the new program could succeed in bridging the divide created between the government and the settlers since the disengagement, and excerbated by the incidents in Hebron and Amona.
Meanwhile, National Religious Party Chairman Zevulun Orlev responded to the report by saying that "Kadima is searching for collaborators to exploit, in order to get a seal of approval to continue undermining Religious Zionism."
"If Olmert has real intentions of creating a real bridge to the Religious Zionist public, he should speak to the NRP and the National Union, which make up the real leadership, instead of speaking to people chasing jobs, who were never elected by the public and who represent nobody," Orlev said.
