Religious Zionist Party faction chairman MK Itamar Eitam joined the unity tent set up by MK Elisha Medan at the entrance to the Knesset on Sunday morning, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot to begin negotiations on forming a unity government.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva from the tent, Eitam explained that the political situation, in which neither bloc had secured a decisive victory, required both sides to seek a joint solution.
He said that neither forming a minority government nor holding another election was an appropriate solution to the situation, "A minority government that relies on nationalist Arab parties that undermine the Zionist vision is a disaster. Going to another election is also very bad. We believe that at this time we must heed the broad public call to sit down and work together".
Referring to the tent's name, "Assembly Areas", Eitam recounted his conversation with Medan and their shared military experience, "Elisha and I spoke a little yesterday about our experiences in combat. We set out from the assembly areas, we knew how to do it together, and we will know how to return to the assembly areas and work together in the political arena as well".
Asked what concessions the Religious Zionist Party would be willing to make to enable the formation of a unity government, he made clear that all sides would have to compromise, "Unity will come at a price; there will be compromises and concessions. People will have to climb down from the trees and ladders they have climbed. We will conduct the negotiations willingly".
He then appealed directly to Netanyahu and Eisenkot to meet, "I call on Gadi Eisenkot and Prime Minister Netanyahu, in the spirit of the Prime Minister's call for unity yesterday, to sit down together, discuss the issues and reach agreements. We probably will not conduct those negotiations here, but it is possible".
Responding to the claim that Netanyahu's call for unity stemmed from the right-wing bloc's lack of a majority to form a government, Eitam said the opposition bloc had not secured a decisive victory either, "In reality, we might have wanted a decisive victory, and they might have wanted a decisive victory-I am talking about the opposition bloc. That is not the situation. There is no decisive victory, neither for us nor for them".
He said, "The public is telling us explicitly: Go for unity. This is the imperative of the hour, this is what the public is telling us, and I suggest listening to it, lowering our defenses, setting aside the mistrust and ending the boycotts".
Asked whether he and Medan would be willing to join a government led by Eisenkot even without broad agreement among the parties, Eitam ruled out the possibility, "No, that is not serious. There will be no poaching of defectors here. There is a public we represent, and we need to sit down as representatives of the parties in the Knesset, reach agreements and find solutions".
At the end of the interview, Eitam invited the public to visit the unity tent and attend a gathering planned for the evening. Asked whether Knesset members from the opposition bloc were also expected to visit the tent, he replied confidently, "I am sure they will come too".