President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday began meeting with members of all the parties in the next Knesset in order to hear their recommendations for the candidate who will form the next government. The meetings will continue until Friday.

At the end of the meeting with the Shas party delegation on Wednesday evening, Herzog, thinking the microphones were already off, said: “There’s an issue that I didn’t mention and that’s the problem you’ll have with Har HaBayis. It’s a critical issue. You have a partner that the whole world is anxious about. I also told him this directly. It’s confidential because I don’t want to cause trouble. But I think that you, as a party, have a responsibility.”

As the recording ends, one of the Shas members could be heard saying: “But he’s become much more moderate.”

A spokesperson for the President’s Residence responded to the report by stating: “The president presented appeals he received concerning MK Ben-Gvir’s positions on certain issues. In the conversation, the president emphasized the responsibility placed on all elected officials. As part of his talks with all the party leaders last Thursday, the president also called MK Ben-Gvir, and in an open and honest conversation, raised the issue with him as well.”

Ben-Gvir also responded to the report, stating: “President Herzog and I have been having many fruitful conversations in recent weeks. I’ve pointed out to the president more than once that close familiarity with my views and plans has succeeded in swaying hundreds of thousands in Israel and he is confident that if I talk to the world, it will understand and recognize that I am not generalizing all Arabs.”

Ben Gvir added: “By the way, following the talks with the president, I began meeting with diplomats and I will work to explain the positions of Otzma Yehudit to the entire world.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)