Chareidi parties declared war against Justice Minister Gideon Saar and his New Hope Party, blaming him for the behavior of party member Yoaz Hendel who is trying to torpedo Israel’s kosher phones system. “The State of Israel cannot persist with chareidi autonomy,” Handel said.

MK Yaakov Litzman of UTJ said that under the guise of encouraging competition and better service, Hendel was furthering Reform interests “to break the wall chareidim want and expose them to undesirable material.”

Kosher phones provide the cheapest deals in Israel, with one such plan costing only $3.10 a month.

Hendel once revealed his attitude to chareidim in a Yediot Acharonot article, writing: “In the 18th century, the Haskalah movement arose in Eastern Europe and the chareidi movement was created to oppose it… They [the chareidim] are a new phenomenon in Judaism, exactly like the Reform. With the passing of time, I assume they will disappear like the Essenes, Sadducees, Sabbateans, and other sects and streams.”

{Matzav.com Israel}