Senior Likud member and former minister Tzachi Hanegbi on Thursday took a shot at former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with N12 magazine.
Hanegbi was asked about Netanyahu's 2017 decision to replace him with Ayoob Kara in the post of Communications Minister and replied, "I believe that Netanyahu replaced me and appointed Ayoob Kara because he wanted someone who might be less independent and with whom he would have an easier time than with me. He initially offered it to Yariv Levin, who did not take the role."
Unlike most of the Likud members, Hanegbi has declared that the option of partnering with the Ra’am party for the purpose of forming a government should not be ruled out.
"I said that our preferred option, of course, is a right-wing government and that if that does not work out, the Prime Minister should be given the room to maneuver to reach agreements with Ra’am. I think that was the right position and unfortunately it was not tried, because Bezalel Smotrich ruled it outright.”
In the interview, Hanegbi rejected his colleagues’ claims that the current government is a left-wing government.
"The coalition will eventually prove whether it is more right-wing or left-wing, but in the last month from some events it can be concluded that it is not left-wing. On the other hand, if Bennett had accepted the Prime Minister's proposal to go to the direct election for Prime Minister and not dissolve the Knesset - a clear right-wing government could have been formed."