Rabbi Peretz and MK Smotrich
Rabbi Peretz and MK SmotrichHadas Parush/Flash90

National Union Chairman Bezalel Smotrich and Jewish Home Chairman Rabbi Rafi Peretz on Monday rejected the invitation of the prime minister to hold a joint meeting with the Otzma Yehudit faction.

The Likud has noted in the past 24 hours that Prime Minister Binamin Netanyahu has held telephone conversations with leaders of the right-wing parties, rabbis and public figures, in order to ensure an additional union in the right-wing bloc to prevent waste of votes.

"We are preparing for the unification process of the left-wing bloc as Tzipi Livni is retiring from politics and they do not want to harm the left by wasting votes. Ganz is working to unite with Orly Levy and not lose votes on the left," said Immigration Minister Yoav Galant.

"The Jewish Home and the National Union must show responsibility and act without delay to unite all the forces on the right. Otherwise the leftist bloc will win. And if a leftist government is formed here by Gantz, it will also be a weak government and will cause generations of mourning in the land of Israel. I am concerned about this issue and I call for unification among all the parties I spoke about," added.