Yamina Chairman and Defense Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday announced at the party leadership’s first meeting after the March 2 election, held at the Ramada Hotel, Jerusalem, that “the election results are good for the rightwing bloc, but it’s not over. Our mission is to ensure that the right’s policies are implemented in practice,” Srugim reported.
Bennett added: “There is an opportunity here for a sovereignty government. The composition of the next coalition will determine whether there will be sovereignty. If leftists are brought in, there will be no sovereignty.”
“We gave our hearts, we kept a mature and clean campaign, and succeeded without firing inside the troops’ carrier,” Bennett told his colleagues. “We will stay united and strong together.”
So far, with about 90% of the votes counted, Yamina has won 6 seats in the 23rd Knesset. It remains to be seen whether this number of seats would be enough to justify continuing to have its three ministerial portfolios: Defense, Education, and Transportation.
Earlier on Tuesday, Defense Minister Bennett attended the annual state memorial ceremony for the fallen IDF soldiers whose place of burial remains unknown. The ceremony took place on Mount Herzl.
Bennett said that he is committed to bringing home the bodies of the IDF soldiers that remained in the hands of Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the 2014 hostilities.
“As long as I am on duty, I will not rest until all of them are given a Jewish funeral,” he said. “It is my duty, it is our duty, to them.”