Yuli Edelstein at the conference
Yuli Edelstein at the conferencespokesperson

Likud MK Yuli Edelstein on Monday spoke out against the voices within the Likud which call to trample the opposition in the next government, as the current government did to the current opposition.

Edelstein made his statements while speaking with a journalist at a conference marking 17 years since the Disengagement from Gush Katif. In the summer of 2005, Israel pulled its citizens out of the area now called Gaza, providing local Arabs with a chance at self-governance and leaving beautiful homes, synagogues, and greenhouses for the use of those moving in. These were quickly destroyed and the area later became a Hamas enclave, from which the terror group threatens most of Israel.

In his interview with journalist Amit Segal at the Gush Katif Commemoration Center Conference for National Responsibility, Edelstein said, "My gut says, 'Let's show them,' but I think that for the sake of everyone's future, we need to rehabilitate the situation. I hope that whoever is chosen as Knesset Speaker will have the strength to do these things right."

"We can govern without at the same time demeaning anyone. Otherwise it comes back like a boomerang."

Regarding his party's primaries, Edelstein said, "Think twice before you vote, because during the Disengagement as well, people told me that they want to announce their opposition to the Disengagement but they don't want to make waves with [then-Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, who offered them portfolios. So think twice about who you should vote for."

Regarding his battle with the Supreme Court regarding his replacement as Knesset Speaker following the March 2020 election, Edelstein explained, "I do not regret what I did. I did it as the Knesset Speaker, not as Yuli Edelstein. The judiciary must not invade the domain of the legislature. When the Supreme Court gives an absolutely illegal order, there will be someone who will stand up and say, 'It stops here.'"