In an interview with Radio 103FM, MK Matan Kahana explained why he chose to join the National Unity Party.
"I don't feel like I moved to the left, because I didn't, I was a right-winger and always will be. In the end, we are a centrist party, and there is a rightist wing and a leftist wing. There's currently no talk or chance of any breakthroughs in peace talks, which I certainly wouldn't want, and unfortunately, there's no chance to annex Judea and Samaria right now, even if there were a 'right-wing' government. Now what's left is what we all agree on, security, making sure we don't end up in a dual-national country, and that we have to strengthen our Jewish and democratic state, to reduce the conflict. We all agree on that."
He added: "We understand that there are two options: either Netanyahu gets 61 seats and then, in my opinion, the government will be a bad one that will take us to a bad place, or we succeed and Netanyahu doesn't get 61 and then the entire political playing field will change, and then Gantz with be the only one who can assemble a wide and stable government, based on the center power in Israel's politics. The haredim will also join a government like that, hopefully, I will be an important figure in Israeli politics".
On his position in the Ministry of Religious Services, Kahana said, "I know that what I did in the Ministry of Religious Services were good things that strengthened the Jewish identity in Israel. A great part of the opposition to my reforms is politically based. In the end, it was a way to topple the government. Everyone knows that I consulted with the great rabbis, that I didn't violate Jewish law at all, I cooperated with the haredim, both publicly and secretly. Everyone knew that I work for the country's Jewish identity."
Kahana believes that the only one that can form a government and receive a wide range of agreements after the elections is Benny Gantz. "Now that Gantz has experience cooperating with Bibi and has learned his lesson from it, he has no intention of forming a government in cooperation with Netanyahu. If Netanyahu doesn't get 61, everything here will change, even within the Likud, there are talks of pushing for quick primaries to decide on a new leader. The haredim are also talking about what to do if Netanyahu doesn't get 61 seats. It's clear that no one wants to go to another election cycle, and therefore there's a good chance that the political playing field will change and Benny Gantz will be there as someone that no one disqualifies and the only one who can form a wide and stable government."
Kahana claims that his party can be a political home for Religious Zionism. "It's natural that we'll be a home for religious Zionists, those who dislike Smotrich's behavior, those who are proud to shake hands with those who think differently, that will pour a cup of water for those who think differently. in the end, the majority of the religious Zionist community dislikes this behavior, and they're searching for a political home, we will be that home.
We could be the government that brings the most religious Zionists into the Knesset, in the end, of the first ten spots on our list, five are religious Zionists, that live a religious lifestyle, and represent the moderate and stately mainstream of Religious Zionism."