Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettPhoto by Flash90

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett (New Right) on Tuesday sent an update to New Right activists, explaining to them the reasoning behind his decision to run in a joint list with Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich (National Union).

"During the night, we negotiated and united with the National Union, and now we are turning to Rabbi Rafi [Peretz] in the Jewish Home to unite with us and run together as one large party representing the ideological right, the liberal right, and Religious Zionism, all together," Bennett said.

He noted that he also met Zehut Chairman Moshe Feiglin on Monday night, but "unfortunately he decided not to join us. I understood that we are placing everything in great danger and that the two parties may not pass the electoral threshold."

"In light of this fact, around 11p.m., when I understood the full picture, I decided to unite us, the New Right with the Jewish Home and National Union, and I turned my attention to negotiations. By six in the morning, we had completed the process, and this morning we signed."

Assuming the joint list lives up to the polls' expectations of 8-9 Knesset seats, Bennett hopes that the New Right will have four or five representatives in the Knesset.

"This political process aims to act according to our values but also according to reality, while preserving our values: an economic right, an open right, Jews and Israelis, a complete Israel, while doing everything so that the nationalist camp will win, and certainly to avoid endangering it and helping the left gain power," he said.

"Life is such that sometimes not everything is perfect, but here, I am making a revolution in the Defense Ministry and I hope that soon we will bring Ayelet Shaked back to a significant position so that she can continue to bring results."

He also emphasized that he had always supported the existence of two parties to the right of the Likud.