NETANYAHU GIVEN 2 MORE WEEKS TO FORM A GOVERNMENT

Benjamin Netanyahu's been granted 2 more weeks to form a government. I really hope he agrees to the wishes of Bayit Yehudi and Yesh Atid for how they'll enter the government, and it's no great loss if the Haredi parties don't join in the end. Yair Lapid's said:

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid sent a clear message regarding his opinion on the government's future composition Saturday, saying, via a Facebook post, that "It would not be a calamity if the haredim sit in the opposition in the upcoming term."

He also said that the majority of Israelis were in favor of a new and different social agenda, "But the haredi parties firmly oppose it. It is obviously their right, but politicians also need to be prepared to pay the price for their positions sometimes."

Emphasizing the fact that he "does not hate" the ultra-Orthodox, Lapid said: "We don't disqualify or ostracize anyone. Every Jew is my brother, and I will not succumb to hate speech.

"Moreover, I think that our world would be more meager without Torah study. This doesn't mean they cannot work or enlist in the army, but Torah studies are one of the basic principles of 'Israeliness' and we have no Jewish existence without it."

No argument there. The Haredi leaders are not helping if they only denounce Lapid in vicious terms like this one did, and act as though they never have to say they're sorry. They could help tremendously by acknowledging much more honestly why it sets a good example to be part of the workforce, and if they were to enter that, then like I've said before, military service could be moot. So it's time they climbed off their high horse and admitted they're human and can make mistakes.