Labor-Gesher Party Chairman Amir Peretz said he intends to stand by his election promise not to sit in a coalition headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We said it, we committed to it, we will fulfill it," Peretz emphasized in a joint statement he made with the Chairwoman of Gesher, Orly Levi-Abekasis, at Beit Ha’itonaim in Tel Aviv.
MK Peretz addressed Netanyahu: "Mr. Prime Minister, save the time on the phone and the attempts to contact us. I served as mayor, I am not looking for a job. You have nothing with which to entice us."
"Netanyahu's incitement is eating away at Israeli democracy," Peretz added. "Netanyahu's incitement against Arab citizens is unbearable. Whoever wants to be prime minister in Israel should denounce it and condemn it, and dispel racist language from the political discourse in Israel. We’re not intending to downshift to second and third gear. Our drive will be forward. I intend to open the gates of the party to tens of thousands of new supporters.”
Levi-Abakasis said of the election results: "Everybody wanted to drink up [our votes]. The alliance between Amir and me is a brave one, it is a long-term strategic one, and we are building a new home here that has room for everyone."