New Right Chairwoman MK Ayelet Shaked stated that efforts to bring the Yisrael Beyteinu party back into the right-wing bloc to avoid a third round of elections are continuing.
"I there is even a one-percent chance then it needs to be exhausted, because elections will be bad for the right," Shaked said in an interview with Arutz Sheva. "As a leader of the ideological right, I want a right-wing government, so Liberman's return would be the best thing for us. True, the situation is not good and there is still no will from all sides. They sat together in the coalition for many years and knew how to function well together. Liberman can achieve significant achievements that he will not be able to achieve in any other coalition."
She said that Liberman is the one currently preventing the formation of a right-wing government. "A decision is needed. When Liberman decides he wants to enter the right-wing government, the disputes can be resolved. It is a matter of the will of Liberman and the haredim. The disputes can be resolved."
When asked to show an example of how the gaps between the parties can be resolved, Shaked replied: "The best-known example is the recruitment law. The whole controversy is entirely artificial. One big piece of fake news. It doesn't matter if the recruitment targets will be in primary legislation or in a government decision. If this is resolved, we can have a government in Israel and know where we are going. Even so, the targets have been based on a government decision and have not been changed. These are the controversies and are not significant. There are other issues that are more complex but for each issue you can find a solution that both parties can live with."
Shaked added that efforts to establish a unity government with the Blue and White party continue in parallel with efforts to bring Liberman back to the right-wing bloc. "There are two efforts. One is to get Liberman to return to the right-wing bloc and the other with Blue and White, with Lapid and Gantz who received a decent offer from the Likud. After all, if new elections are held, Netanyahu will continue to be prime minister for another six months. It's hard to understand why they are refusing this proposal."
She criticized the Blue and White party's insistence that it would not sit in a coalition with a prime minister under indictment for any length of time. "Indeed, it is their value statement and could have been adhered to if they won the election, but the result was a draw. They will not be able to form a government alone and have to compromise. To drag the state into elections because of the six months that Netanyahu will continue to be prime minister in any case in my view is political lawlessness."