Finance Minister Smotrich Open to Unity Government, Rejects Boycotts
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared he is not boycotting anyone, including Yair Golan, despite strong criticism of Golan's views. Smotrich confirmed he would join a unity government with Gadi Eisenkot and Binyamin Netanyahu but not without Itamar Ben-Gvir. He also affirmed past agreement by Ben-Gvir to sit with the Ra'am party, refuting claims to the contrary. Smotrich believes the right-wing bloc can win more than 61 seats in the next election with high turnout.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Finance Minister Smotrich stated he is not boycotting anyone, including Yair Golan.
- Smotrich confirmed Itamar Ben-Gvir previously agreed to sit with the Ra'am party.
- He would join a unity government with Gadi Eisenkot and Binyamin Netanyahu, but not without Ben-Gvir.
- Smotrich criticized Yair Golan as a radical leftist who promotes hatred.
- He believes the right-wing bloc can achieve over 61 seats in the next election.
- Smotrich reaffirmed his commitment to the right-wing bloc and not leaving his partners.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that he is not boycotting anyone, including Yair Golan, despite his strong criticisms of Golan's political positions. Smotrich clarified that while his political preference remains a government with his natural right-wing partners, he would not rule out including other parties in a coalition after an election, even from the opposition, emphasizing "we are not boycotting." He specifically addressed a scenario where Gadi Eisenkot proposes a government with Netanyahu and the Religious Zionism party, confirming he would join such a government. However, he stipulated that he would not agree to a government without Itamar Ben-Gvir.
When pressed about whether he would sit with Yair Golan, Smotrich reiterated his stance against boycotts, saying, "I am not boycotting anyone." He then elaborated on his objections to Golan, calling him a "radical leftist" who wants to establish a Palestinian state, close the Eli pre-military academy, and shut down Channel 14, accusing Golan of promoting hatred and comparing Smotrich and others to Nazis. Despite these harsh words, Smotrich maintained that if a unity government is desired, it should include everyone.
Smotrich also commented on past allegations that Ben-Gvir had previously agreed to a framework for sitting with the Arab party Ra'am. He confirmed that Ben-Gvir did agree, stating, "No, not at all," and refuted claims by Baruch Marzel that Ben-Gvir did not agree. Smotrich recalled his own efforts to warn against such a coalition, stating he "rang the bells" and presented evidence of the dangers of sitting with Mansour Abbas, whom he accused of using "false sweet talk."
Regarding the upcoming elections, Smotrich expressed optimism that the right-wing bloc could achieve more than the 61 seats needed for a majority, provided there is high voter turnout and votes are not wasted on parties failing to pass the electoral threshold. He stressed that his commitment to the right-wing bloc remains firm, stating, "I am not leaving the right-wing bloc." He also added that he would not allow the Religious Zionism party to be left without a political home, noting that while others speak of unity, they are the ones boycotting his party.
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