MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) on Thursday strongly criticized the conduct of the Likud in the negotiations on the formation of a new government.
"This is not a negotiation. I thought from the first day that there was no need to issue a statement that the meeting was conducted in a positive atmosphere. It was not positive. The Likud asked to broadcast that," Porush told Radio Kol Chai in an interview.
"There will be no reality of a narrow government without Smotrich. The Likud needs to come to its senses and set criteria for receiving a large portfolio and a medium-sized portfolio. They cannot conduct themselves as if we are not part of the victory of the right-wing bloc. We do not need to stand on our hindlegs to get what we deserve," he added.
Porush pointed out that the right should take advantage of the situation created for it by the left. "The same goes for the Override Clause. It’s not that the Likud doesn’t want it, but they're just saying that it should be done differently. I thought things would look different two weeks after the elections. We're in a situation where we have to do what the voter wants. When the left wanted to form a government, they went ahead and did so, they didn't pay attention to what others said."
In a separate interview on Radio Kol Barama, Porush was asked if he felt disrespected by Netanyahu. "Is the Likud taking us lightly? I don't think so. But after two weeks and two days since the elections, we should have been somewhere else in the negotiations and it didn't happen, so let everyone draw their own conclusions. Maybe they have more important things on their plate."