Far-right activist Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party is breaking ranks with the more mainstream, religious-Zionist Habayit Hayehudi, the party announced Tuesday.
In a letter to Habayit Hayehudi leader Rafi Peretz, party officials wrote, "Unfortunately, over the past few months we have not been treated fairly and your conduct and that of Habayit Hayehudi officials was that of those who use Otzma Yehudit and throw it away."
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The letter stated that Otzma Yehudit running on a joint ticket with Habayit Hayehudi and National Union led to an electoral victory, which if it hadn't been for Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman forcing a new election, could have led to the establishment of a right-wing government.
After mentioning that both Peretz and National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich had been appointed to ministerial posts, the letter says, "Despite all this, and despite the fact that more than 70,000 Otzma Yehudit voters voted for the United Right, over the course of the past few months the conduct by Habayit Hayehudi officials was disgraceful."
"When it was decided that an election would be held, your started holding briefings against Otzma Yehudit. … Every day, we've heard different slanders, and as if that wasn't enough, you even refused to sit down with us and discuss how you could keep your promise, even after you were already appointed to a ministerial position."
The letter admonished Peretz that "this isn't how you treat partners … as the education minister, you know that the correct definition of that behavior is 'ungrateful.'"
The letter concluded with an official declaration that Otzma Yehudit was breaking off its partnership with Habayit Hayehudi: "We were pushed down to unrealistic places [on the list] and received much less than we deserve, and we did so out of responsibility to the public, but apparently our generosity was misinterpreted by you as being able to keep trampling Otzma Yehudit."
According to the signatories of the letter, Otzma Yehudit is working to create partnerships with other parties for the Sept. 17 election that will "strengthen the Right."
