Former Likud minister Yuval Steinitz opined on Thursday that the Likud is wrong for not encouraging the running of the Jewish Home Party, which can guarantee the formation of a right-wing government.
Steinitz said in an interview with Reshet Bet radio that his opinion is not similar to that of other Likud officials. "I see it differently and my opinion remains the same. I think the best thing that can happen to the State of Israel is that there will be no sixth elections and that a broad government will be formed here led by Netanyahu and the Likud."
"The only party that actually promotes this thing, which opposes the boycotts and says that its agenda is that there should not be a narrow government of the left or a narrow government of the right, but that it is in favor of a broad government - is Ayelet Shaked and the Jewish Home," stated Steinitz.
"I say, if she gets in with a few seats, it would be good for the Likud, because it would guarantee that it would not be possible to boycott the Likud, which has a majority, that Netanyahu and the Likud would pass the 61-seat threshold required to form a government. And it would also mean there is a very significant chance that we would sit in a broad government and not a narrow one," concluded the former minister.
Earlier on Thursday, Interior Minister Shaked explained why she does not intend to resign from her position, saying, "I will not abandon the Ministry of the Interior to the left." Shaked responded to reports that she would withdraw from the race in exchange for an ambassadorial position and said, "I have not been offered any position anywhere. This is a spin from Smotrich."
Shaked said that a right-wing government will be formed after the elections only if the Jewish Home party passes the electoral threshold. "Netanyahu has no 61 without us. There is a right-wing government only with the Jewish Home. Don't waste your vote on the big parties in the bloc.''
Minister Shaked responded to criticism from the left of her decision to deport the relatives of the terrorist who carried out the attack in Armon Hanatziv in Jerusalem.
"The relatives of the terrorist from Armon Hanatziv were not born in Jerusalem, did not grow up in Jerusalem and in any case do not have Israeli citizenship. These are residents of the Palestinian Authority who all along were not entitled to receive any status from the State of Israel. I revoked their status and am deporting them back to PA territory to deter the next terrorist," she stated.