Channel 12 News’ political commentator Amit Segal said on Wednesday evening that the identity of the next Prime Minister will be determined once it becomes clear whether Bezalel Smotrich and the Religious Zionist Party have passed the electoral threshold.
"This question quickly converges toward a person named Bezalel Smotrich, for whom the polls predict four seats, there are some which predict more, [but] four is the dangerous area. If Smotrich does not pass, Netanyahu will not be able to form a government and an alternative government will be formed," Segal said.
On Tuesday, Smotrich was a guest in Arutz Sheva’s studio and said that he would recommend to the President to entrust Binyamin Netanyahu with the task of forming the government, but not before talking to him "on the guidelines of a right-wing government with all parties in the national camp."
Smotrich clarified that he will not join a coalition that does not include the Likud and the haredim.
"Unequivocally. Bibi is not the issue and neither are the haredi MKs. The issue is a million right-wing, traditional, peripheral voters. They are our natural partners in the correction of the State of Israel," he said.
"I am not counting on Netanyahu's commitment. I am counting on the map before which I can read and understand that Netanyahu has no alternatives and will therefore go to a right-wing government, any other government will be a bad government which will cause terrible damage to the State of Israel. I am very disappointed by the sayings of Naftali, who is willing to go to a left-wing government just to move Netanyahu aside. He said yesterday that he will bring the Likud, but I do not know how one brings a party of 30 seats that will sit under a party of 10 seats," added Smotrich.