Orly Levy-Abekasis
Orly Levy-AbekasisRoy Alima/Flash 90

Gesher chairwoman Orly Levy-Abekasis, who merged her party with the Labor Party on Thursday, said on Friday that she would not be a part of a government led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu until it becomes clear that there will be no indictment against him.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 12 News, Levy-Abekasis explained the reasoning for the merger with Labor.

"I come as Gesher and preserve my values. The goal is really to connect Israeli society. I am in favor of a peace agreement, provided our security interests are met. There is a general agreement regarding settlement blocs, but there is no peace without concessions and anyone who says otherwise is lying or living in a different reality,” she said.

On the possibility of sitting in a government led by Netanyahu, Levy-Abekasis made clear, "I will not sit with Netanyahu under an indictment, and he will have to resign. I think we have to wait for the decision of the Attorney General.

Levy attacked the Likud party, of which her father, former Minister David Levy, was a long-time member. "This is not the party I grew up in. I will not vote on immunity laws, and the Likud is a worthy party, but whoever heads it must prove the interest of Israel is important to him. We will not sit with Netanyahu until it becomes clear that there will be no indictment against him."

She explained the reason why she did not pass the electoral threshold in the previous election. "We ran independently with two giants (Blue and White and the Likud), so the social issues evaporated. The same people who wanted to vote for Gesher were moral voters and when it was pumped into their heads that we are on the verge of the threshold, they were afraid that we would not pass and therefore did not vote for us."

Levy-Abekasis also discussed the failed attempt at a merger with Benny Gantz before the last election, saying, "I had to choose between big parties with small ideas." On Gantz himself she said, "Not everyone is perfect, but he is suitable to be prime minister."

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)