Deri and Netanyahu
Deri and NetanyahuFlash90

Interior Minister and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri announced Wednesday morning that his party will back Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the next election and will help him form the next government.

Speaking on Radio Kol Hai, Deri responded to a Midgam poll, publicized Tuesday evening on Channel 2, which shows Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party overtaking the Likud for first place.

Deri played down the poll, noting that elections were not in the offing, and that polls tend to fluctuate greatly over time.

“Don’t get too worked up over polls like this. Trump is now leading Clinton, but remember that just a few weeks ago Clinton was leading him by a margin of 15%; it looked like Trump’s defeat was certain and people were already writing him off.”

The Interior Minister emphasized that early elections were unlikely, leaving more than two years before Israelis go to the polls. Deri added that the prospect of a Prime Minister Lapid was not likely anytime soon.

“The government will continue, God-willing; nobody can build a government based on polls, and I recommend Lapid shelf the victory celebration and keep asking questions from the opposition.”

Despite rumors of a budding friendship between the Shas leader and Lapid, Deri said the two had never met privately nor spoken over the phone.

“I guess he reformed me,” Deri said sarcastically, referring to Lapid’s election pledge to “reform Deri” – an allusion to Deri’s prison sentence for corruption charges. Deri was sentenced to three years imprisonment, but was released in 2002 after less than two years.

“Let me make things clear,” continued Deri, “I’ve never had a phone call with him, and I’ve never met with him. When he tells me hello, I say ‘hello’ back – that perhaps is the change in our relationship, before he would not even say hello to me, and now he does.”

“That’s the extent of the ‘friendship’. Somebody apparently wants to create the impression that Lapid perhaps could be the Prime Minister because the haredim are with him.”

But, Deri demurred, his party would never back the Yesh Atid leader.

“Without a doubt, when the time comes for the next election, God-willing, and we will need to recommend to the President a candidate for the premiership, we will recommend Bibi Netanyahu – a reliable partner, someone who has kept his promises.”

“Sometimes we have arguments, who doesn’t? We’re different people and we have our arguments, but we sit and come to an understanding. He is our candidate for Prime Minister.”