The event that took place in the halls of the Zionist Organization of America House in Tel Aviv about a month ago, on July 21, may have looked strange to an onlooker. The place was packed with dozens of [leftist] Meretz party members, while on the stage in front of them sat Knesset member Moshe Gafni, chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah party, laying out his socioeconomic worldview. With giant signs sporting Meretz’s green logo behind him, Gafni, a prominent representative of Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox politics, felt at home.

The occasional applause signaled that he was, indeed, a welcomed and esteemed guest in these quarters. The sympathy of the audience was based on two things the ultra-Orthodox politician and the members of the left-wing party have in common: a socioeconomic worldview and abhorrence of Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett.

It was the chairwoman of Meretz, Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On, who organized this gathering. Gal-On is Gafni’s new political partner in opposition to the Netanyahu-Lapid government. Their acquaintance of many years has a history of joint struggles on the finance committee, which Gafni headed until the elections. Today the flourishing alliance between the two is accepted as natural in Gafni’s party and is the subject of favorable coverage in the ultra-Orthodox press.

The last election no doubt created some odd alliances. The connection in the coalition between Lapid and Bennett is still difficult for most of those involved in Israeli politics to absorb. On the other hand, in the opposition the collaborations between the ultra-Orthodox and the left-wing and Arab parties are flourishing around socioeconomic fights, which reached their apex in the debate over the state budget. Thus sprouted the interesting cooperation between Gal-On and Gafni, as well.