The Likud party on Sunday morning attacked Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein following their announcement over the weekend of the formation of a new right-wing party. In an official statement, the party described the two as "embittered fake right-wingers."
"Edelstein and Erdan are embittered fake right-wingers. They are working to steal votes and transfer them to the left-wing bloc's government of deception, headed by Eisenkot together with Yair Golan and the Muslim Brotherhood," the Likud statement said.
Edelstein responded to the criticism, emphasizing that the new party would not provide either political bloc with the decisive 61st seat needed to form a government.
"For those suffering from hearing comprehension problems, I will repeat myself: We will support only the establishment of a broad Zionist government. We will not provide either bloc with the 61st vote. Who will lead that broad unity government? Only the public will decide that," he said.
Earlier, Erdan, the former Public Security Minister and Israel's ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, spoke on Radio 103FM about his decision to leave Likud after three decades.
"It was a very difficult personal decision for me to leave Likud after thirty years," he said, adding, "I truly love Likud activists and Likud voters with all my heart."
Erdan explained that he had concluded he could no longer remain part of the party's current direction, identifying the issue of equal national service as one of the main reasons for his decision.
"As someone who has been on the right all my life, I believe what the right wants to see is that every citizen of Israel serves in the IDF or performs national service," he said.
Erdan confirmed that a senior figure close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had recently approached him with an offer of a reserved spot on the Likud candidate list.
"About a week ago, I received a call on the subject," he said, adding that the offer came from one of the Prime Minister's closest associates and that he made it clear he intended to pursue an independent path.
According to Erdan, the offer included a high placement on the Likud list.
"I was elected to one of the top three places in the Likud primaries five times between 2006 and 2019. That's not the issue," he said, explaining that for him the central question is the ability to influence events and bring about change in the country.
During the interview, Erdan also addressed claims that he serves as Netanyahu's "proxy." He said he had expected such criticism because he has no interest in "crowning either side to rule alone and do whatever it wants," but instead seeks to bring both sides together in one government.
Erdan warned against the formation of a narrow government, whether it is a right-wing coalition relying on the Haredi parties or another coalition dependent on political factions from either side of the political spectrum. Such a government, he argued, would be unable to cope with Israel's security, economic, and diplomatic challenges.
"I expect whoever has the best chance of forming a government to present the other side with a very generous political offer to join," Erdan said. He stressed that he would not join a narrow government, which he believes "would be disastrous for the people of Israel for years to come."
Regarding military service, Erdan said efforts should be made to ensure that all sectors of Israeli society-including Haredim and Arabs-serve in the IDF or perform national service, while providing incentives and benefits to those who do serve. He also said that Israel needs a far-reaching judicial reform, but emphasized that it should be implemented through broad consensus.
Ahead of the September 7 deadline for submitting party lists, Erdan confirmed that talks are underway regarding possible mergers within the center bloc, including discussions with Benny Gantz and Chili Tropper. He said he expects mergers and changes before the deadline, adding that research and polling indicate the political potential in that area amounts to approximately ten Knesset seats.
Erdan declined to confirm or deny whether Oren Smadja or Ayelet Shaked would join his list.
"In the coming days, you will see very significant, principled people who can bring about change joining the party I am leading," he said.