Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz leaving politics
National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich called upon Bayit Yehudi to merge with his party before it elects a new leader.
By GIL HOFFMANRafi Peretz at the weekly cabinet meeting, March 2020.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz announced on Tuesday afternoon that he will not run for reelection as leader of Bayit Yehudi in the party’s January 19 primary.Peretz wrote on social media that he entered politics two years ago because he was drafted to save the party, but religious Zionists require new leadership.“This is the time to enable new forces to emerge and lead, and I will make every effort to ensure success,” Peretz said.Bayit Yehudi director-general Nir Orbach and former MKs Eli Ben-Dahan and Moti Yogev are expected to run in the primary.Peretz angered many of his party’s key activists when he broke off from the Yamina faction to enter the cabinet. He announced on Tuesday that he would remain a minister until the next government is sworn in.National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich called upon Bayit Yehudi to merge with his party before it elects a new leader.Peretz’s decision will impact efforts to unite Yamina with the National Union, which have hit a roadblock. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly working behind the scenes to persuade Smotrich to run with Bayit Yehudi and not join with Yamina.
