BICOM

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party tried to permit segregation of men and women at public events as part of coalition negotiations, according to a report by Israel’s Kan news.

The report said that part of the draft coalition agreement between the Likud and UTJ contained proposals to make it permissible to provide public services, public study sessions and public events in which men and women are separated and that this separation would not constitute legal discrimination. A senior UTJ official denied the report, telling Maariv that gender separation was not mentioned in coalition talks. A Likud official also denied the report saying “there was no agreement”.

Blue and White leader Yair Lapid described the proposals as ‘madness’ and, directing his remarks at Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “The man who has been speaking out against Iran for 20 years now wants to import it.”

A senior figure in the United Right party, Bezalel Smotrich, reported to be a potential Justice Minister in a future Netanyahu government, said yesterday that his long-term ambition is for the State of Israel to be “run according to the Torah”. In an interview with Kan Radio Smotrich said: “That’s the way it should be. This is a Jewish state. The state of the Jewish people will go back to being run as it was in the days of King David and King Solomon — according to Torah law.” He added on Twitter: “The time has come for us to stop being afraid of the law of Torah. We cite German law, French and English law, and only our law do we leave behind.”

Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg said in response: “There is no need to go into details about what would happen to women or the LGBT community in the world of Biblical law. It is clear that Israel cannot have a justice minister who wants a theocracy like in The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “The State of Israel will not be a state of Halacha (Jewish law).” Likud sources added that Smotrich can forget about being appointed justice minister in the next government.