Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, a candidate for Knesset on the Otzma Yehudit list, which teamed with Bayit Yehudi to become the United Right-Wing party (URWP) in the last election, announced the deal is over. Ben-Gvir stated that his party will not be running with Bayit Yehudi in the next election.

The URWP was composed of Bayit Yehudi, Ichud Leumi and Otzma Yehudit. Ichud Leumi on Monday renewed its agreement with Bayit Yehudi, as the party leadership voted unanimously to continue.

Ben-Gvir explained that in light of the behavior of the Bayit Yehudi leadership, Otzma Yehudit has decided to break away.

In the official letter sent to Bayit Yehudi leader Minister Rafi Peretz, it states, “Unfortunately, in the last few months we have not been treated fairly and your behavior and those of Bayit Yehudi have been using and throwing away Otzma Yehudit. As you well know, and as you declared yourself on the air, the connection between us led to victory in elections that if not for the conduct of Lieberman, we would have allowed the establishment of a right-wing government”.

After Peretz and Betzalel Smotrich were appointed to the cabinet, Ben-Gvir expressed harsh criticism, explaining 70,000 Otzma Yehudi voters backed the party, yet the two leaders broke the agreement. Ben-Gvir explained they were supposed to use the Norwegian Law to resign from Knesset and remain cabinet ministers, to permit the next two persons on the roster to become MKs, and they did not. This would have brought Ben-Gvir into Knesset.

In response to Ben-Gvir’s accusation, Smotrich on Tuesday morning responded, explaining, “Let’s start by saying the obvious. Agreements must be honored. There is no argument about it. If I could, and I would have done anything to bring Itamar into the Knesset. Itamar is a friend, he is a talented man who can do a lot, and he deserves it and it is coming to him and to those who choose Otzma. Unfortunately, this is simply not possible at the moment. I checked, I tried, but it just is not possible.

“In a situation where a government would have been established, the Norwegian Law would have been legislated within a week, and Rabbi Rafi and I would have resigned from Knesset to bring Itamar Ben-Gvir into Knesset, and Orit Struck, as we promised.

“However, this government is a transitional government and it is not possible to legislate the Norwegian Law, but at the request of Itamar, I examined the possibility of resigning from the Knesset in order to bring him in. However, in a transition government, the prime minister can only appoint a person to the cabinet who is a MK”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)