As the coalition negotiations between Likud and Blue&White to form a unity government continue, Yamina chairwoman Ayelet Shaked responded to a question about the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would abandon his “natural” partners in his loyal, 55-strong rightwing bloc – who recommended him to the President this week.
In a Wednesday morning interview with Jerusalem Radio, Shaked warned: “We would become a fighting opposition against Netanyahu.”
The former justice minister also said that “if there is a betrayal of the ideological right and of religious Zionism – everyone would bear the consequences.”
Yamina has seven Knesset seats, making it more a charity case than a threat in Netanyahu’s plans.
“The Likud will have to explain to the rightwing camp why it is dismantling the rightwing government and throwing the ideological right to the opposition,” Shaked stressed.
Tonight, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Blue&White Chairman Benny Gantz are expected to meet at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, following Monday’s start of negotiations between them.
President Rivlin left the meeting on Monday, with the heads of the two major parties remaining behind closed-doors to speak privately. He told the press outside the room: “We’ve taken a significant step tonight, this is not the time for boycotts.”
Rivlin was referring to the convoluted lists of which party refuses to deal with other parties as long as certain individuals (Netanyahu, Yair Lapid, the Haredim, the Arabs) are included.
Shortly thereafter, Gantz and Netanyahu called on Rivlin to return to the meeting and concluded after a brief consultation. Then the two parties’ negotiating teams met on Tuesday,
Gantz and Netanyahu were invited to a joint dinner with Rivlin at the President’s residence Wednesday night.