Netanyahu
NetanyahuHezki Baruch

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Wednesday with the chairman of the Jewish Home Party, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, and the two agreed on the conditions that would lead to the inclusion of Otzma Yehudit in the joint list of the Jewish Home and the National Union.

As part of the agreement, the Jewish Home-National Union faction will receive two significant ministerial positions, with the two sides already talking about the education portfolio.

In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu promised to secure the 28th place on the Likud list for a representative of the Jewish Home-National Union, and after the elections the representative would be transferred to the united party.

Netanyahu also agreed to enact the expanded 'Norwegian Law,' which would allow additional representatives from the list to serve as Knesset members.

The two also agreed during the election campaign that the parties would not attack each other but would strengthen each other to secure a right-wing victory.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said at the end of the meeting that "the next elections are between a left-wing government headed by Lapid and Gantz and a right-wing government headed by me. I congratulate the representatives of the Jewish Home and the National Union for their responsibility for the Land of Israel that caused their success in uniting the ranks to ensure that the voices of the right are not lost."

Jewish Home Chairman Rabbi Rafi Peretz stated that "the preachers of the left cannot be crowned as leaders of the state. At the end of the process everyone will see that we were right. I will make a decision during the day and request the approval of the party's central committee for the agreement."

The Jewish Home central committee will convene this evening to vote on the agreement to run on a joint list with Otzma Yehudit.

Prime Minister Netanyahu postponed his visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin by several days to meet with the leaders of the Jewish Home and National Union to press them to run on a joint list with Otzma Yehudit.

The arrangement offered by the Jewish Home and accepted by Otzma Wednesday morning would give Otzma the fifth and eighth spots on the joint Knesset list.

“The leadership of Otzma Yehudit decided at an emergency meeting to accept the demand of Otzma rabbis, and to join a technical bloc with the National Union and Jewish Home on the fifth and eighth spots”

“For the sake of the Land of Israel and the many people in the public who have called for unity on the right so that, God forbid, a left-wing government will not be established, the Otzma Yehudit faction has decided to accept the joint list offer from the Jewish Home and National Union, taking the fifth and eighth spots – despite the fact that based on all the data and in most recent polls, Otzma was guaranteed to bring at least four seats. But when the choice is the Land of Israel or our own honor, we choose the Land, and the establishment of a right-wing government.”