The Jewish Home Bloc on a visit to Ma'aleh Adumim
The Jewish Home Bloc on a visit to Ma'aleh AdumimFlash 90

The heads of the National Union party sent a letter to the chairman of the Jewish Home party, Education Minister Naftali Bennett following remarks he made in the media, demanding the unification of the two parties. The parties ran together in the last elections, but did not formalize their unification.

The National Union warned of Bennett's suspected intention to slough off the right-wing factions of the Jewish Home party in order to win votes from centrist voters, and said that that this is a serious mistake on both the moral and the electoral levels.

The letter was signed by National Union Chairman Uri Ariel, MK Bezalel Smotrich, Party Secretary Ophir Sofer and other members of the party's leadership.

"We appeal to you once again to promote unity between the parties of the Jewish Home and the National Union. Unfortunately, despite our repeated requests to promote unity and the agreement signed before the last elections, we have not yet received any substantive response to these requests," the letter read.

In addition, the National Union referred to quotes attributed to Bennett in the Hebrew media, in which he is alleged to have stated that he has no interest in unity between the National Union and Jewish Home factions.

The National Union Party reminded Bennett that when they ran in the Knesset elections as two separate parties, each party received a low number of seats, four for the National Union and three for the Jewish home.

Referring to Bennett's statement that he is demanding that the National Union party compete in the primaries of the Jewish Home, members of the National Union claim that they did not hear it directly from him. "We recently heard your statements that you are in favor of unity, but you are offering Uri Ariel and Bezalel Smotrich to compete in the primaries of the Jewish home."

"We heard this statement for the first time in the media, and it was presented to us unilaterally. This statement is a futile proposal and raises doubts about the sincerity of your intentions and about the continued unity between us," wrote the heads of the National Union.

"Naftali, we again turn to you from responsibility to the national camp and religious Zionism, and urge you to sit down for a substantive discussion and find the way to continue the partnership of the parties that have so far achieved many achievements for the values ​​we believe in.

The National Union's secretary-general, Ophir Sofer, said in response: "In light of Bennett's political statements at the conference that the 'Jewish home' should change, our demand for unity and the continuation of our common path are clearer. This is not a procedural technical procedure but a dramatic change in the agenda of religious Zionism and the national camp and the loss of a path."