Conference taveng::bagels

Well, Zaitch, you're missing all the fun...

Yes, I would say that Amital's moderate religious party, Meimad,
is generating interest, but how much depends on whom you ask.  The 
National Religious Party (Mafdal) has said several times in their
TV ads "Don't waste your vote on Meimad; they won't pass the ahuz
hahasima (the minimum 1% required to get a seat)".  Of course it's
in the NRP's interest to scare people away from Meimad.  On the other
hand I recently attended a chug bayit (parlor meeting) in which the
Meimad representative said that according to their polls they already
have 3 seats and are working on the 4th.  Of course he wasn't objective
either.

I think the truth is in the middle and that Meimad will probably get one,
possibly two, seats.

As for the other parties, Agudat Yisrael and Poalei Agudat Yisrael have
joined together with the support of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who promises
a blessing to whoever votes for them.  Their flyers have a coupon in
which you promise to vote Aguda, you mail it to the rebbe, and he gives
you a blessing.  On the other hand, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia
Yosef has declared a public "hatarat nedarim", nullifying such promises
anyone may have made, if only they will vote for his party, Shas.  If 
it weren't so sad, it would certainly be funny.

Someone once said that the Jews are like everyone else, only more so.
I think the same could be said about the relgious parties relative to
the other parties.

    re: .0 & .1
    
    I'm not that familiar with Rabbi Amital and Meimad.  Could someone
    please post a description of their ideology, platform, etc.?
    
    David

How about upping the minimum vote requirement to 1.67% (1/60). This proposal
"should" appeal to the religious parties. And isn't the year 5749?

Dave

Yes, the year is 5749, not 5789.  (moderator:  please change the topic title).

Does anybody know about the RATZ party?  What is their position?  Are they
expected to win any seats in the Knesset?

re .3:
>How about upping the minimum vote requirement to 1.67% (1/60). This proposal
>"should" appeal to the religious parties.
actually it should be set at 16.66% (1/6)
... since that would mean any party getting less is getting "pachot 
mishtut". I would spell "shtut" with a tet-taf, not a taf-taf !
>And isn't the year 5749?
Yes, that was a typo.
-ZAITCH

    Can someone from Tavland give us some election results when you
    know them???  I figure the NET is faster than the eve news, especially
    with the time difference.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Waky

   The initial FORECAST was given less than hour ago. 

   The Likud and Ma'arach (Labor) are tied with 40 mandates each.
   The religious parties seemed to have gained some strength with 
   about 15 mandates.  The rest is spread around among the various 
   smaller parties.
   
   Interviews are being held with big-wigs of the two major parties
   and each claim that they will be the one put together the next
   government. 
   
   It looks like there's going to be a lot of political horse
   trading in order to set up a coalition. 
   
   The bottom line is that the Israeli people are more or less split
   down the middle and we don't know what the hell we want!!!!! 

Boy, you are fast, Aharon!

I'd like to point out for the benefit of our cousins in galut
that this forecast is based on a different method from the 
one used when the American networks make their projections
(I think).

The forecast is based on a system of mock voting booths set up
outside supposedly representative polling areas.  Voters are asked
to reproduce the vote they performed inside the poll (the booth is
also set up to look like the real thing).  These polls are counted
as the day progresses so that the results are available immediately
and are announced by Israel TV immediately after the polls close at
10:00 (our time). 

These forecasts have been astonishingly accurate in the past
three elections, but still are not the final word.  We won't
have more definitive results till tomorrow morning.
By the way, Meimad (discussed preciously in this note) did not
receive the minimum required to have a seat in the Knesset
accoding to the forecast.

COULD SOMEONE OUT THERE GIVE A BREAKDOWN  PARTY BY PARTY?
ESPECIALLY HOW THE DIFFERENT (SO-CALLED) RELIGIOUS PARTIES
FARED? 
TOO BAD ABOUT MEIMAD... (AT LEAST IF THEY ENDED UP STANDING FOR
WHAT THEY SET OUT TO STAND FOR...)
-ZAITCH

I hadn't had my first cup of coffee when I heard these, so I may have gotten
some wrong.  Also, there still is the possibility of a change in a seat
or two.

Likud				39
Labor Alignment			38
Shas				6
National Religious Party	5
Agudat Yisrael			5
Citizens Rights Movement (Ratz)	5
Hadash (Communists)		5
Techiya				3
Mapam				3
Degel Hatorah			2
Progressive List for Peace	2
Tzomet				2
Moledet				2
Shinui				2
Abdel Darousha			1

    Hmm, I must be behind the times, I didn't know that Mapam had dropped
    out of the maarach.  No one has yet explained what the ideology
    of Meimad was, I'm really curious.
    
    David

...and while you're at it, what is
>>   Degel Hatorah			2
?
-ZAITCH

    Isn't Degel Torah the Rav Shach "breakaway minyon"?
    
    Av 

   Meimad is (was?) a center-to-left leaning religious party, mostly 
   break-away from the NRP (Mafdal, National Religious Party).  Their 
   main points are to bridge the gap between religious and non-religous 
   and they are willing to return territory in order to preserve life 
   and peace.
   
   Degel Hatora is a break-away from Aguda.  These are both 
   ultra-orthodox parties and the break came at the behest of Rav 
   Shach from B'nei Brak.

< Note 569.14 by TAVENG::GOLDMAN >
<   Meimad is (was?) a center-to-left leaning religious party, mostly 
<   break-away from the NRP (Mafdal, National Religious Party).  Their 
<   main points are to bridge the gap between religious and non-religous 
<   and they are willing to return territory in order to preserve life 
<   and peace.
   
    I'm all for this point and hope that this will be a start to long
    lasting peace.

    -Sultan

    P.S.

	I have a dream to visit my birth place after 20 years 
        away from home.   Maybe this can become reality.

    Sultan,
    
    Where is your birth place...and what is preventing you from visiting
    it?
    
    Av

	I am from Rammallah.  A city in the West Bank,Phalestine.

 	Other than getting a good work out by the SLS (steroid loaded soldier)
	of Israel Government there is no other reason for not going.

	Actually, physically there is nothing to prevent me from going.  But
	I would like to feel that I can visit without being attacked for
	no reason.

	-Sultan

    re: -1     
               
    Sultan, I don't that by just the fact of your being in Ramallah
    will give the army reason to fire on you.  However if you were to
    take part in a demonstration, well that may be another story.
               
    By the way Israeli soldiers are not "loaded on steroids".
    
    David 

Following are the final results, as announced today (Friday).

Likud				40
Labor Alignment			39
Shas				6
National Religious Party	5
Agudat Yisrael			5
Citizens Rights Movement (Ratz)	5
Hadash (Communists)		4
Techiya				3
Mapam				3
Degel Hatorah			2
Tzomet				2
Moledet				2
Shinui				2
Progressive List for Peace	1
Abdel Darousha			1

Since the preliminary results in .10, Likud and the Alignment each have
gained a seat, and Hadash and the PLP each have lost one.

It now appears most likely that the next government will be made up of all,
or almost all, of the right-wing and religious parties.  These have a total
of 65 seats, out of 120, in the incoming Knesset.  There are a few "minor
details" to be worked out, such as major incompatibilities in their election
platforms and ideologies, so such a coalition might not include all of them.

Re: .19: 
> It now appears most likely that the next government will be made up of
> all, or almost all, of the right-wing and religious parties. 

According to today's Boston Globe, negotiations between Likud and the
religious parties have ground to a standstill, and some representatives of 
the religious parties are stating that they'd rather align with Labor.

It seems to me that there's still some distance to go before a working 
coalition can be set up.

    re: .20
    
    I'd be willing to (well almost) bet this week's check that the sticking
    point of negotiations is over "Mi yehudi" (who is a Jew?).  But
    if this is the case than they couldn't expect much more from Labor.
    
    David