MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home), the Chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee backed the demand of his party leader Naftali Bennett to receive the Defense Minister portfolio following the resignation of Avigdor Liberman.
"I think Naftali is fit and ready to be defense minister. He has military experience, and he proved himself in military activity and in the cabinet. It is clear that it is impossible to expect him to make a change in the little time remaining for the government because the military system is like a heavy aircraft carrier that is difficult to turn right away, but there is no doubt that he will start a new approach with the goal of winning and restoring the IDF," Slomiansky told Arutz Sheva.
"The public will see the change and I have no doubt that they will choose us again and Naftali will serve another term in the Defense Ministry.
Slomiansky expressed his hope that the unofficial freeze on construction in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria will come to an end with Bennett as defense minister. "After nine years of freezing in the urban settlements, everyone expects a change. We are a right-wing government that wants to act as a right-wing government and it is time to make a profound change and enable settlement in our country. We can build in Jerusalem and strengthen urban settlement in Area C. "
He added that Bennett's appointment would strengthen the right before the elections, "If we go to early elections, there is indeed a danger to the right-wing government, so the prime minister does not want to go to elections."
Slomiansky stated that he believes the government can serve until the end of its term even without Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu party. "We still have 61 MKs, but we have to continue in the coalition. We were already at 61 at the beginning [of the coalition three] years ago, and the government was even stronger because everyone felt that everything depends on it. We are also in the midst of very big changes and big revolutions, and I have no doubt that this will continue."
"The draft law has already been approved by the Council of Torah Sages and Liberman in the opposition. I am convinced that he will vote for it, and so will Yesh Atid. Liberman will not want the opposition to vote against other rightist laws because he shoots himself in the foot, since all his resignation was meant to do was rehabilitate his party ahead of the elections in order to reach the right-wing public. It may be a little harder in the plenum and there will be fewer offsets, but it's possible."