MK Amir Ohana
MK Amir OhanaYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Public Security Minister Amir Ohana (Likud) said on Friday that he did not believe the government would fulfill its term and that elections were near.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 12 News following the resignation from the government of Tourism Minister Asaf Zamir from Blue and White, Ohana said that Zamir’s resignation shows that Blue and White is trying to raise tensions, and despite the efforts to have a government that will survive for four years - it is very possible that an election is approaching.

“Netanyahu is preoccupied with the coronavirus," he clarified. "It is Blue and White who are engaging in politics at the moment. All their considerations are motivated by politics, including the spin to try to divert attention from the resignation of Assaf Zamir through the appointment of the State Attorney."

"We have an opposition within the coalition and it will unfortunately not last long," continued Ohana. "If Blue and White do not get a hold of themselves and stop engaging in petty politics, we will go to elections. It does not depend on only one side of the coalition. We must work together. They went out of their way to defend these meetings because they are demonstrations against Netanyahu."

Ohana denied Blue and White’s claims that the protests against Netanyahu are causing political harm to the Likud.

"There is no doubt at all that there is enormous damage caused by the demonstrations but that damage is in the morbidity and is not political. These displays are not politically harmful to us, they are harmful to the fight against the disease."

In the wake of the high increases in cases of coronavirus in the haredi sector, the minister said that he, in conjunction with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and leaders from the sector, are making great efforts to instill discipline. "We are working towards both enforcement and discipline and understanding. The good thing is that every population thinks there is over-enforcement against it. I have spent a lot of time with the haredi population who claim that the police are over-enforcing their public. More than a quarter of a million reports have been issued since the beginning of the pandemic."

Ohana concluded by calling on the people of Israel to put aside their differences and stop the demonstrations so that the state can recover from the coronavirus. "I call on everyone – put it aside, the virus is the main fight."

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