MK Amichai Chikli (Yamina) has issued a sharp attack against the head of the New Hope party, MK Gideon Sa’ar, after the latter reiterated his refusal to join a Netanyahu-led coalition and stressed his “commitment” to see that Netanyahu was replaced as Prime Minister.
“Our position and our commitment remain as always: to replace the government and bring an end to the rule of Netanyahu,” Sa’ar wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “With this in mind, we are continuing in our efforts [to form a government]. A good piece of advice for the coming days: Don’t be taken in by spins.”
Writing in response, Chikli posted on his own Twitter account: “What a groundbreaking vision. How sad that personal disputes and ego are trumping every other consideration. A man of the Right you are not.”
Refusing to allow Chikli the last word, Sa’ar fired back: “You took an entirely different approach when you texted me excitedly on the evening I established New Hope, writing unequivocally about why it was absolutely the need of the day to replace the government. Just in case you didn’t save that text message and you want to refresh your memory, let me know.”
Chikli then responded: “I remember it well – how I wrote to you: Chazak v’amatz [wishing him all success]. I thought that it was indeed the right decision to establish an additional right-wing party in order to strengthen the [right-wing] bloc. Back then, I had no idea that our Jabotinsky miracle would be converted into a black flag from the same script as all the others produced by the Crime Minister. From that day on, to my distress, I lost you.”
Prior to this exchange of Twitter blasts, Prime Minister Netanyahu reached out to Gideon Sa’ar and Yamina party head Naftali Bennett, in a last-ditch appeal to form a right-wing coalition, offering both Sa’ar and Bennett a period at the helm in a three-way rotation deal. While Bennett reportedly has signaled his willingness to join up if Sa’ar does, the New Hope leader failed to respond to the offer, and officials within his party stated that his response was almost certain to be negative.
A senior official within the Yamina party told Arutz Sheva that as such, the decision was in Sa’ar’s hands. “Yamina will join a right-wing government,” he stressed. “This offer made by Netanyahu for a rotation with Sa’ar is a way out of this mess.”
Another senior official from the right-wing bloc, who declined to be named, told ArutzSheva that the real battle was the one being waged within Sa’ar’s mind – a question of his true ideology. “Everything is in Gideon Sa’ar’s hands now,” he said. “He has the power to establish a right-wing government and also to establish a left-wing alternative. His decision is what will determine the course of events.”