Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi HotovelyFlash 90

The 2015 elections were “a great moment for Religious Zionism,” MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday.

“At the moment of truth, a whole community of voters turned to the Likud, which was able to bring about the party's great victory, despite all odds.”

Hotovely's analysis goes towards explaining the dropoff in support for Jewish Home. Some of the party's votes went to the Yachad party, which did not meet the minimum vote threshold – but at least some of Jewish Home's votes went to the Likud, in the wake of a last-minute blitz by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in which he promised to bring Jewish Home into his coalition – but would only be able to do so if he, and not Yitzhak Herzog, formed the government.

Hotovely said that Netanyahu was indeed “trolling” for Jewish Home votes, but she justified it by saying that the Likud had no choice. “We did this out of great love for Jewish Home voters,” she wrote.

“Our efforts saved the state from a leftist government, and will allow us to establish a right-wing government without surrendering to the media dictates that would have demanded a unity government” had Likud gotten fewer seats.

“With a big and powerful Likud we can manage the state properly in a right-wing government,” she said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu will express his commitment to the Likud's alliance with Religious Zionism with appointments in his government.”

In 1977, she added, “Menachem Begin set an alliance with haredi parties, and in 2015, we are witness to the establishment of an alliance with Israelis who see themselves as traditional and right-wing. Thank you to each and every voter who chose the Likud. Historically, we will see this election as the one that established this new partnership.”