National Union chairman and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel on Wednesday discussed the new demands raised by the National Union party in exchange for the party running together with the Jewish Home in the next election.
"We are making efforts to agree on a joint run with the Jewish Home, including discussions that took place today. It’s important to know that it is impossible to waste more time because the elections are coming and we are working to achieve a positive conclusion," Ariel said in an interview on Kol Barama radio.
He also responded to a statement by Minister Naftali Bennett, who suggested on Tuesday that there are leadership struggles within the National Union and therefore it is difficult to conduct negotiations with the party. "This statement on his part is a bit contentious. It was an unnecessary statement,” opined Ariel.
The National Union chairman stressed that his party is not afraid of running for the Knesset on its own should an agreement not be reached with the Jewish Home. "If we have to run alone, we will run alone," he said.
Ariel pointed out that his party is not in contact with other parties besides the Jewish Home, but does not rule out talking with any party.
"We are not there yet. I am not preparing other options, and we are concentrating on cooperation with the Jewish Home and not talking to others," Ariel said, adding, "I said in the past that I do not rule out cooperation."
He predicted that the current government would not survive more than a few more months. "No government in the past 20 years has held up this way and what we are doing is extraordinary. We have naturally come to the point of an election. In my opinion the coalition will continue until January-February, and then the date for elections will be decided upon."