Likud's DNA Changed, Says Former Speaker Edelstein Amidst Merger Talks

Knesset Member Yuli Edelstein, from the Unity Party, expressed a greater than 50% chance of merging with Benny Gantz's National Unity party before the deadline for submitting electoral lists. Edelstein stated that both sides are interested in a union, which he believes is necessary to form a broad Zionist government, contrasting it with what he described as a "disastrous" narrow government.

Edelstein defended his departure from the Likud, asserting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fundamentally altered the party's core principles and that the party had not convened for two years. He also downplayed his colleague Gilad Erdan's absence at a critical time due to a trip to Las Vegas, calling it a minor missed opportunity to visit a cafe.

He rejected the possibility of joining forces with former Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter, citing Winter's stated refusal to sit with politicians. Edelstein criticized the Likud's recent primary results, questioning the lowered standards and highlighting instances like MK Tali Gottlieb's controversial statements and the demotion of MKs May Golan and Idit Silman to non-viable list positions, suggesting that only loud demands, not substance, led to their current standing.

Edelstein also revealed that Netanyahu faced significant rejections from prominent security figures, including former IDF chiefs of staff, Mossad heads, and advisors like Ron Dermer, when attempting to secure them for the Likud list. He criticized the Likud's automatic voting patterns, particularly on the conscription law, suggesting that members disregard their own views when instructed by party leadership. Edelstein recalled his own ousting from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, noting the fear among members of a public vote against Netanyahu's wishes and predicting that the conscription law would not pass under his successor.

Finally, Edelstein warned of the dangers of Netanyahu's political persona overlapping with his wartime leadership, suggesting that political considerations might be overriding military needs regarding troop requirements. He concluded that the current Netanyahu is not the same leader as in the past.