On the opening day of the new Knesset, Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Sonn Har Melech called for new elections. In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News at the Knesset, she said she also supports disqualifying parties she accuses of supporting terrorism and warned that parties considering forming a government with the backing of Arab lawmakers would pay a political price.
Sonn Har Melech said Otzma Yehudit has been calling for new elections since the results were announced. She claimed the elections had been "stolen" and linked her demand to the increased strength of the Arab parties. During the interview, she was presented with the distinction between suspected attempts to influence voters, which are under investigation, and actual ballot fraud or manipulation of election results. Sonn Har Melech maintained that the conduct in question had been illegal.
Asked whether she would also seek to disqualify parties alongside her demand for new elections, she answered affirmatively. She accused lawmakers from Arab parties of supporting terrorism and rejecting Israel's right to exist.
"We will take action so that next time, we do everything possible to ensure they are not sitting here again," she said.
Sonn Har Melech explained her opposition to a unity government on security grounds. She noted that she had served on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for the past three and a half years and argued that, based on her familiarity with the challenges facing Israel on multiple fronts, a government whose members disagree on fundamental security issues would struggle to make the necessary decisions.
"At this time, I don't see how any of the possible coalition arrangements could lead efforts to achieve decisive victories on the various fronts," she said.
Asked whether the majority of Knesset members identified with the right could nevertheless provide the foundation for a government, Sonn Har Melech said an individual lawmaker's personal views do not necessarily determine how they will vote. She argued that when crucial decisions arise, party positions and coalition discipline may override a lawmaker's personal convictions, even when they disagree.
Toward the end of the interview, Sonn Har Melech returned to the possibility of a government being formed with the support of Arab lawmakers. She warned that any party choosing to rely on their backing "will go down in infamy."
"Remember this moment. Their downfall will be so great that they will simply be wiped out," she added.