Otzma Yehudit
Otzma YehuditArutz Sheva

The Otzma Yehudit faction refused to respond to an official request by the Jewish Home and the National Union to convene a negotiating session for the possibility of running on a joint list in the upcoming elections.

Sources in the Jewish Home and National Union, which agreed to run together last week, told Arutz Sheva that Otzma Yehudit has refused to engage in constructive negotiations and continues to issue ultimatums.

According to the same sources, in the current situation, it will not be possible to reach any agreement by the deadline for the parties to submit their lists for the elections.

Otzma Yehudit members denied the reports that they have refused to negotiate with the Jeiwhs Home and National Union. There is no point in sitting in a yeshiva of humiliation and contempt. After all these past weeks, we held meetings into the night and it turned out that the people of Smotrich and Rabbi Peretz led us astray and only wanted to show that there were negotiations but actually wanted the representatives of Otzma Yehudit to sit in the Knesset gallery [and not have seats in the Knesset]."

"There is an agreement between us and Smotrich that if we joined, he will be at the head of our election campaign. We will remind everyone who signed and who violated [the agreement]. Although according to yesterday's survey, the balance of power between the parties is equal, we were satisfied with modest positions, but both MK Smotrich and Rabbi Rafi Peretz said no to a technical block that could save the Land of Israel. The people of the National Union and Jewish Home must know that no elections will help the next day, and whoever is to blame for the rise of a leftist government will not be able to try to [justify themselves] to those who compromised and asked at almost any price to join in unity," they added.