Likud MK Tally Gotliv published a highly combative post on Tuesday evening, saying she had received warnings that people would try to "eliminate, neutralize and smear" her before the party primaries. She framed the alleged pressure as part of an organized behind-the-scenes effort against her political standing.
Gotliv said the warnings do not affect her and insisted she will not soften her confrontational style. She argued that right-wing voters have already seen what she has done, in her words, to the "persecuting top echelon" in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee over her immunity case, even though she has no executive authority.
The MK also dismissed recent polling, saying the published surveys do not reflect reality. She claimed that "no fake, commissioned poll" will influence voters, who she said are waiting for her parliamentary work in favor of proud, fearless right-wing governance once she is given broad executive powers.
Gotliv then said she deserves credit for keeping ideological right-wing voters inside Likud. She asserted that many such voters remain in the party because of her, and that placing her higher on the Likud list for the Knesset would bring back people who had become disillusioned and return them to the ballot box. She said she has never met a Likud member who did not strongly support her work to strengthen the right-wing camp.
In a sharp swipe at internal critics, she said that anyone who thinks voters are sleepy or not intelligent should think again. She ended by quoting Ze'ev Jabotinsky and saying Likud is "a right-wing party, not a centrist party," adding that she wrote the post in response to thousands of messages of support she received over the previous two days.
