Chairman of the New Right party, Naftali Bennet, admitted in talks with individuals close to him that establishing his new party was a mistake.

According to the report on Channel 20, Bennet said among other things, “We made a major mistake by establishing the party. I did not expect the election to end as it did in my worst dreams, that we would receive fewer votes that the United Right-Wing. It was a total surprise.”

He also addressed the disappointment of Ayelet Shaked, who went along with him on the new endeavor. “Nevertheless, I remain optimistic and I will continue working for our state”, he is quoted adding.

Officials in the New Right party on Tuesday night denied Bennet never said “establishing the party was a major mistake”.

“Bennet never said the things attributed to him and he does not feel this way. It is totally fake news. The one thing that Bennet said was that he did not expect the election to end as it did. All the other quotes are baseless.”

At the end of the voting recount, Bennet’s party remains 1,450 votes short of reaching the minimum election threshold to enter Knesset.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)