Matan Kahana
Matan KahanaCredit: Yossi Zelliger/Flash 90

Col. (res.) Matan Kahana of the New Right doesn't understand why there isn't one list yet which unites the parties to the right of the Likud, and concludes that apparently "Rabbi Peretz is really not interested in unity."

"The meeting was supposed to be yesterday," Kahana told Army Radio, referring to a meeting between his party leaders and Bayit Yehudi, which was postponed until Sunday. "Then it was pushed off until the morning and now it's been pushed off until the evening."

"It hasn't been canceled, but it looks like someone is dragging their feet in all the negotiations, and that's not how someone who really wants unity behaves a few days before the lists are submitted."

"We feel that since Ayelet Shaked took over the leadership of the New Right, we've put very very generous proposals on the negotiating table - proposals which almost eliminate our rising advantage in the polls and the support for us, which has doubled. We offered a proposal which shows that there are widespread advantages in unifying the right-wing parties and it still doesn't seem that they're intending to sign with us

"Rabbi Peretz's proposal for three spots in the first nine spots on the list is a proposal divorced from reality, and it seems that Rabbi Peretz is really not interested in unity."

"I just can't understand this story," he added. "We must be united in the bloc to the right of the Likud because that is the only way to ensure that there will be a real right-wing government on the day after the elections. Woe to us if we don't unite."

When questioned on who would be the leader of a right-wing union, Kahana responded: "This is a ridiculous situation. The one who would bring the most mandates should lead the technical bloc. I know that there are those who think that in elections, the mandates aren't the most important thing but it's reasonable to say that in elections, it's particularly the mandates that are important. There is not one poll that doesn't show that a [right-wing] bloc led by Ayelet Shaked will bring more mandates. This is also good for them so it's really not clear to me what the story is."

Kahana stressed that the New Right would not join a union of which Shaked is not the head. "That would be ridiculous. It's irrelevant. We won't form a union which would bring seven mandates when it's possible to form a union which will bring 12 mandates. We are now in a war on the identity of the government the day after elections. If we want a true right-wing government and want the Likud not to be dragged into forming a unity government or a left-wing government - we have no choice but that the bloc to the right of the Likud will be the biggest possible, and only Ayelet Shaked can bring that."