Former Jerusalem Mayor and senior Likud member Nir Barkat responded in an interview with Arutz Sheva to the results of the television exit polls.
“I’m quite surprised by the happiness in Blue and White, since when you look at the numbers, you see that the right-center bloc, headed and led by our Prime Minister Netanyahu, is significant. You have more than 61 parliament members who said before the elections that they will support Prime Minister Netanyahu. So this means that the Israeli public would like to see Prime Minister Netanyahu continue to lead Israel in the next term,” said Barkat.
He added that he did not see the possibility of a unity government with Blue and White. “I believe that you will see a coalition that is very similar to the coalition we had prior to these elections.”
Blue and White, continued Barkat, “did not support Prime Minister Netanyahu. They would like to take him down. They would like to see him replaced, so I do not see them joining a unity government. It’s unrealistic at this point.”
His message to the members of Blue and White as they celebrate what they see as their victory?
“I would not invest in their future at this point. From their perspective, they have to get used to serving in the opposition.”