MK Aryeh Deri, who heads the Sephardic-haredi Shas party, spoke at Besheva's summer conference about the attempts to form a right-wing government before the current government was formed.
"I am stating, and I am willing to prove and debate with anyone who is interested, that there was a practical option, not theoretical, to form a right-wing government," he said.
"The day this government was formed was the hardest day. It was the day when [Prime Minister] Naftali Bennett and [Justice Minister] Gideon Sa'ar (New Hope) gave the extreme left a senior status. To place the extremists, who up until a few months ago legitimized investigating IDF soldiers in the Hague - suddenly they are sitting in the Cabinet. To rely on an Arab party is a bad precedent."
Deri added: "Naftali and his friends have a desire to take the State of Israel in a completely different direction, to be a state of all its citizens. Whoever sees the latest actions, the State budget and the draft and kosher certification reforms, understands that there is an attempt to take us to a completely different place."
"Our concern right now is not just for ourselves - I will continue to eat kosher and to educate my children in my path. I am worried out of mutual responsibility and concern for the entire nation - we will become 'a state of all its citizens' with a haredi ghetto which continues to keep the flame of Israel alive. I hope that with focused work, we can bring down this government, and all of their ideas will remain in the realm of dreams."
He emphasized: "We have lost democracy in Israel. In all the four rounds of elections, the Likud won the most votes, but at the end of the day a person with six Knesset seats became prime minister."
When asked if he is considering retiring, Deri said, "As a religious and believing Jew, I think that everyone must fulfill his purpose in this world. As long as I feel that I have a mission and what to teach the younger generation in our party, I'll be there."