Meir Porush
Meir PorushEsty Dazyubov, TPS

Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush (UTJ) on Monday evening slammed Yisrael Beytenu Chairman MK Avigdor Liberman, claiming that his decision to join the opposition meant that he had joined up politically with the leftist and Arab parties.

The good part of the current government, Porush said, is the absence of Liberman and Yesh Atid-Telem's MK Yair Lapid from the coalition.

"The new government will be tested by how positively it behaves towards the foundations of religion and the foundations of Torah and Judaism," he said. "At the end of the day, we are living here in the Land of Israel, and that comes with obligations. The warmer its attitude towards religion, Torah, and the traditions of Israel, the more blessing it will bring. What is good for this government is that Lapid and Liberman are not in it, they're in the opposition, fighting between themselves, trying to compete for the voices outside."

"If we look at who submitted the vote of no confidence, we see that there are two groups: There is Liberman and Lapid, and what connects them is the hatred of haredim; and after that there is Meretz and the Arab parties, which are the Israeli left. I am ashamed for Liberman, that he has no problem being together with the Joint Arab List and Meretz. From my perspective, he crossed the red line a long time ago, he lost his conscience, he already doesn't know what 'right' means and he doesn't care about anything."

Praising the Yamina party, Porush added: "Yamina is also in the opposition and not sitting in the government. It hurts them, and we understand them. We would like to see them in [the government], but Yamina did not submit a bill of no confidence. It's embarrassed to be in one group with the leftist parties."

"Liberman already forgot what it means to be embarrassed. He's already deep in the left, I don't want to respond to his statements today.

"I know only one thing: There are two parties for whom Israel is not the home of the Jews - it's not for the Joint Arab List, which does not recognize the State as that of the Jews, and it's not for Meretz, which says that Israel should be the state of all its citizens.

"Lapid and Liberman, from their perspective the most important thing is their hatred of haredim, and that's what connects them. I don't regret that Liberman did this, at least he showed his true face. I remember that when he needed the haredim, he knew how to run after them and make promises, but long ago he lost his conscience. I can say that it seems that the next elections will have Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu running as a joint list, and they'll already have a name - Yisrael Bluff."