Miki Zohar
Miki ZoharHadas Parush/Flash 90

MK Miki Zohar (Likud) told Channel 12 News in an interview on Friday that the Likud had made “mistakes” that caused it to lose power and end up in the opposition.

"We all made mistakes, including myself. No one can evade responsibility for this. The only way to return to the leadership of the state is if we know how to correct the mistakes we have made. If we say that it's all because of the incitement in the media or the persecution it will not bring us back to the leadership of the state. Our claims are just, but there has to be a way to convince the public. The public at home is not at all interested in our arguments. He is interested in what will happen tomorrow morning," said Zohar.

"We should not take all the credit for the inflammatory discourse," continued Zohar. "Our political opponents also created this inflammatory discourse and we were dragged into it. Often times, when you attack instead of trying to persuade, the public refuses to listen and you fail to persuade it."

Asked if making changes also includes the need to replace the chairman of the Likud, Benjamin Netanyahu, Zohar replied, "The exact opposite is true. We can win an election with Netanyahu. We can grow the right-wing bloc with Netanyahu. We have the best chairman among all of them, with proven actions and abilities that no one on the right, left or the media can disagree with."

He asserted, "We could have formed a coalition with 61 right-wing seats if we had brought seats that did not vote for the Likud this time but are right-wing. We did not know how to speak to this public and we gave up on it in advance. We decided to go and unload our aggressions instead. We should have perhaps chosen to explain better to the public why we are better and less to personally attack the opponents."

Amid reports that the Likud once again tried to persuade Defense Minister Benny Gantz to part ways with the current government and join with the Likud, Zohar said, "Our surest way to return to the leadership of the state is if elections are held. If there is an election, I estimate that the public will bring back its support and even increase it so this is the surest way to return to the leadership of the state. The other ways, whether through Gantz or other ways, are much more complex. Gantz has one slim chance to be Prime Minister, and that will happen if he joins with the Likud. If he does not take this opportunity, then he will never be Prime Minister."

"It will not be a right-wing government with Benny Gantz but it would be a better choice than a government where the left is the main part and Mansour Abbas controls all the moves of the government," he continued. "I really believe in the abilities of the ministers and Likud MKs to lead to much better places than what this government is doing."

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)