Yisrael Beytenu Chairman MK Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday morning reiterated his promise to push for a unity government, criticizing Blue and White Chairman MK Benny Gantz's post-elections speech.
"The clear conclusion is that everything we said is happening. There is an option to establish a wide, liberal unity government and we say that we will not join any other option," he said.
"We will not sit with the Joint Arab List, and therefore everyone needs to understand that it's a shame to waste time and use pressure. We need to quickly get into the only possible lane. No one has 61 to recommend him, and if there aren't 61 recommendations the Knesset will dissolve. Anyone who thinks that there's an option to hold new elections is making a mistake."
Liberman also emphasized that the Yisrael Beytenu party will not sit in a narrow government with the haredi parties, just as it will not sit with the Joint Arab List.
"I was disappointed with Benny Gantz's speech," Liberman added. "I didn't hear anything clear. We will not discuss any option to form a government without a clear commitment ahead of time that the haredi yeshiva students will be drafted and that the law will pass with every period and comma it had when it passed its first reading."
"Another basic condition for us entering the government is that the core curriculum be taught in the haredi education system. We will make any support in the government dependent on teaching the core curriculum. We will not give in on our demand to cancel the Supermarket Law and run public transportation on Shabbat (Sabbath).
"These are our conditions and until we hear things clearly we will not speak with Gantz or [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu. Our reliability is important and we do not intend to back down even a tiny bit from our commitments to our voters. I will not waste time on empty conversations. There will be no negotiations and whatever we do will be completely open and transparent. There will be no negotiations under the table."
