Bezalel Smotrich
Bezalel SmotrichHillel Maeir/TPS

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in closed talks on Thursday that he fears the leaders of the Yamina faction, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Bezalel Smotrich, will join Blue and White after the elections and form a government with Benny Gantz, Channel 12 News reported.

Smotrich responded to Netanyahu with a sarcastic comment on his Twitter account.

"Netanyahu in closed talks today fears that Smotrich will vote in favor of the expulsion from Gush Katif, deliver the Bar Ilan speech, release thousands of terrorists in the Shalit deal, freeze construction in Judea and Samaria, defend the justice system for ten years and physically prevent any necessary amendment to it, will prevent the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar. That Smotrich is quite the leftist..." he wrote.

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that Netanyahu promised to Rabbi Rafi Peretz that he would be appointed as the next Minister of Education, even if he is ousted by the members of the Jewish Home party.

The promise reportedly came as part of Netanyahu's pressure campaign on Rabbi Peretz to join Yamina.