Israel’s fervently Orthodox United Torah Judaism bloc launched its election campaign Sunday, assuring the public that it is not interested in initiating religious legislation unless it finds itself “pushed into a corner.” Knesset member Avraham Ravitz told a news conference that the bloc does “not intend to propose religious laws that Israeli society is not ready to live by.” At the same time, Ravitz lashed out at the Labor Party’s candidate for prime minister, Ehud Barak, for “blaming all of society’s ills” on the religious community, adding that Barak should not expect their support in the May 17 elections.
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