Miri Regev
Miri RegevFlash 90

Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev (Likud) on Friday warned that voting for MK Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party would in essence be voting for the center-left Blue and White party.

Liberman's voters are traditionally right-wing and supportive of a Likud-led government.

Speaking to 103FM Radio, Regev said: Liberman is not the deciding factor and the one deciding the results of these elections is G-d. People cannot decide who the prime minister will be. But okay, I'll go with your assumption and just say that I'm not impressed by the polls."

Recent polls have consistently showed the right-religious bloc as holding 56-57 Knesset seats while the center-left bloc holds 53 seats. Yisrael Beytenu, which has promised to support only a unity government, is polling at 10-11 seats.

When asked for her opinion on Liberman himself, Regev said: "When a publicly-elected figure promises his voters that he'll sit with [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu, and a day after the elections reneges on his promised - in my eyes that is a person who tricked and lied to his voters, and I therefore believe that he is a danger to democracy."

"Liberman decided that the haredim are horrible and ignored the fact that he's worked with them throughout his entire political career. Anyone who votes for Liberman is voting for the Left and will receive [Blue and White leaders MKs Benny] Gantz and [Yair] Lapid.

"Not always do members of a party agree on the same things, and Liberman and Netanyahu don't agree on the same things, but no right-wing politician has brought down a government in order to create a leftist government.

"In my view, Avigdor Liberman is very much motivated by his ego. He's motivated by hatred of Prime Minister Binyammin Netanyahu, and in my eyes he's a person who cannot be appointed to the position of Israel's prime minister. I hope that in the end the public will punish him and Liberman will see the Knesset via Channel 99 on television."

When asked whether Gantz could be prime minister, Regev responded that he is a confused person who sticks to papers.

"He's not able to speak fluently," she said. "Benny Gantz might be a good person, but a good leader he is not. He was Chief of Staff and I respect his position as Chief of Staff, but at the same time I have a few things to say about how he handled things during Operation Protective Edge, and about the fact that he doesn't see the [terror] tunnels as a strategic threat."

"Compared to the leadership of Binyamin Netanyahu - a Prime Minister who has handled many very difficult challenges - Benny Gantz does not have the ability to be prime minister. Do you see Gantz talking with US President Donald Trump? Do you see Gantz negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin? Of course the answer is no. The guy can't even handle negotiations - I see how he handled so many journalists. He can't manage to deal with the pressure. So what will he do when there are important tasks for the good of the State?"

"At the end when there's a rotation between Gantz and Netanyahu you're going to eat your words and you'll have to come on stage and speak his praise," 103FM's reporter told Regev.

"When I need to apologize I apologize," Regev responded. "I'm not like you and other people. I'm not an angel from heaven. When I make mistakes I know how to apologize. If I say or do things that aren't right I know when I have to apologize. I'm just a person, I'm not immune to mistakes."