MK Ram Ben Barak (Blue and White) spoke on Thursday with Anat Davidov and Roni Bar-On on Radio 103FM and expressed his opinion on the bill that Blue and White is promoting and which would stipulate that a Knesset member with an indictment could not be tasked with forming a government.
"First of all, this is not a law in retrospect, it is about the next Knesset. So this entire chorus that is singing about 'canceling the results of the election' is fake," said Ben Barak.
"Throughout the campaign, we said, 'There are two laws that will be enacted once we form a government, the Tenure Law (which limits a Prime Minister to two terms -ed.) and the Moral Turpitude Law (which stipulates that a person convicted of an offense with moral turpitude serve as a minister, a Knesset member or mayor -ed.).' That was before we knew what the results of the election would be. So, to say we are doing it just because of Bibi is nothing but hypocrisy. We do not want a Prime Minister in the State of Israel who has three indictments against him, and for him to be able to form a government, because we do not deserve that, that's all," he added.
Davidov: "When will you enact the law? If you enact it."
Ben Barak: "We will pass the law now, it will apply as of the next Knesset."
Bar-On: "So Bibi can be Prime Minister from May this year?"
Ben Barak: "As far as I know, it is impossible to enact a law retroactively."
Bar-On: "I say with caution, I read that [Avigdor] Liberman's terms for new legislation will apply starting with the forthcoming Knesset, otherwise how will Liberman go to a unity government? Do you see him sitting with Netanyahu? I tell you, he will sit with the Arabs before he sits with him."
Ben Barak: "I don't see myself sitting in a government that Netanyahu is its Prime Minister."
Davidov: "I'll give you another option, maybe a fourth election, and then it's possible."
Bar-On: "That’s probably the only way."
Ben Barak: "Netanyahu cannot form a government, period, they should internalize it. Netanyahu did not win in April, did not win in September."
Bar-On: "You can't either."
Ben Barak: "Maybe we can't either, but Netanyahu definitely can't. He can't, under any circumstances. Now let's see what happens next."
Bar-On: "If what you're saying is really what's going on, it's a not a bad political idea. You come and say, ‘We won’t change the rules while playing the game, we’ll change the rules for the next game,' and then you say, 'Given that a government can’t be formed, let's hold a fourth election.’ Now Netanyahu will no longer be able to lead the Likud, and then there will be no disqualifications, they don’t disqualify you and you don’t disqualify them. And that’s the end of the saga.”
Ben Barak: "What's wrong with that?"
Bar-On: "Did I say there was anything wrong with it? I think it is not a bad political idea. Is that the idea?"
Ben Barak: "In my mind, yes, we said that this is the first law we would enact, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are enacting it, it is written in our platform. We went with this throughout the campaign, enacting two laws - the Tenure Law and the Moral Turpitude Law.”