I am the Chairman of UTJ and the Chairman of Agudat Israel, there was no signed agreement regarding Bet Shemesh. It never happened. There was never an arrangement, not even a handshake deal. To resolve the fighting over municipal elections, I am prepared to agree to a three-way rotation between Shas, Degel Hatorah and Agudat Israel, each one getting one term in turn. We will divide up the land and have the elections set for the next 15 years.
-- Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf
1. maybe the agreement was from previous years, when Litzman headed Agudat Israel, or when Gafni was chairman of UTJ...
2. Agudat Israel breaking the agreement with Degel, if there was an agreement, is actually funny and ironic. When Degel broke their agreement with Shas (in Elad) and supported Porush for re-election, their gadol Rav Landau justified it saying agreements do not need to be kept. Now Degel is upset that Aguda isnt keeping an agreement (if there was one) by supporting Abutbol for mayor instead of Degel's candidate Greenberg.
3. Notice that they dont care about what anyone feels is good for Bet Shemesh or any other city, what policies might be relevant, or who an appropriate candidate might be. They just want an equal share of power, divide up the land, each one getting a turn to put their people in place. This is why many dont like these deals.
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