MK Yitzhak Herzog, head of Zionist Union, angrily denied a report Wednesday that he had turned down an offer by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be Israel's Foreign Minister. Herzog denied the report by Channel Two's Amnon Abramovich that he and Netanyahu had been conducting serious negotiations to bring Labor into Netanyahu's coalition.
According to the report, Herzog was to have been named Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. The single condition presented by Netanyahu: That Labor enter the government without a ministerial post for Tzipi Livni. “That condition broke the deal,” Abramovich said. “Herzog was afraid that Livni would leave Labor and move to Yesh Atid.”
Herzog denied that there had been an offer, and that there had been negotiations in the first place. “The fairy tale Abramovich told on television tonight was just blathering nonsense. I completely deny it.”
Herzog added that “more is to be expected from a serious journalist. He should concentrate on the facts instead of tell stories.”
The Likud also issued a denial. “The report by Abramovich is incorrect,” the party said in a statement. “Neither the Prime Minister nor anyone on his behalf have made any offers or promises to Herzog about anything.”
Since the elections in March, Herzog has consistently denied that he would join a unity government, insisting that he would reject any offers and remain in the opposition.