Officials within the right-wing bloc continued over the weekend to try and hammer together a right-wing government and this week will put even more pressure on those who can possibly help make that happen.
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Over the coming week, Israel Hayom has learned, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political allies will apply this pressure in the following manner: Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) will appeal to New Hope party chairman Gideon Sa'ar; MK Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) was tasked with persuading Religious Zionist Party head Bezalel Smotrich; and UTJ leader Moshe Gafni has been asked to focus on persuading former Likud MK Ze'ev Elkin (New Hope) to defect back to the Likud.
Despite the impending pressure campaign, the assumption is that regardless of what he is offered, Sa'ar will not join such a government. Therefore, the feasibility of a Likud-Religious Zionist Party-Yamina coalition with the Haredi factions with the possibility of the Arab Ra'am party's external support is still on the table – despite Smotrich's vehement opposition. Likud officials said that the "ball for establishing a right-wing government is in the hands of Smotrich and Bennett. The moment they put everything aside, don't get carried away and stop handcuffing themselves with promises, we will form a right-wing government."
Bennett told Likud officials last week that he was not the problem in the way of a right-wing government reliant on Ra'am's support, saying that if Smotrich lifts his opposition, he would join. In Smotrich's camp, officials rejected outright the option of a right-wing government with external support from any of the Arab parties. Smotrich told Israel Hayom: "Not for the outside, not from the inside, not maybe, not abstentions, not direct and not indirect. We will vote against any cooperation with [Ra'am chief Mansour] Abbas. It will never happen."
Officials in Smotrich's camp are furious over the pressure against him on the matter.
"What right does anyone have to pressure us on such an important and fundamental matter as relying on terrorists and terrorist supporters? This isn't a matter of breaking a [campaign] promise or unwillingness to get our hands dirty, it's an ideological matter; if we agree now to rely on terrorist supporters, we will lose our grip on the State of Israel. The Left will establish a government with them for the next 40 years; they will make strides and receive double the mandates in the next election. We won't let this happen on our watch," said one official.
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Officials in Smotrich's camp also said that his resistance to a government supported by Arab parties is preventing the formation of a Bennet rotation government with Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid. In their estimation, if Smotrich consents to Abbas' support, Bennett will go to Lapid and inform him he has the option of joining a right-wing government, in which case Lapid will have to acquiesce to every one of Bennett's conditions for creating a left-wing government with Lapid. According to the officials, as long as Smotrich opposes Abbas, Bennett has no leverage over Lapid.
MK Ahmad Tibi (Joint Arab List), meanwhile, was coy on Saturday when asked whether his faction would back a government led by Bennett.
Speaking to Channel 12 News, the veteran politician refused to grant a definite answer on the matter.
"We need to wait and see. Sometimes you say things and then things change," Tibi replied.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
