Eleven leading organizations from the nationalist camp issued a call on Sunday to the leaders of the nationalist parties to put their personal differences aside and join together to form a government that is not reliant on anti-Zionist parties.
“We, organizations from the nationalist camp, call on the leaders of the Zionist parties from the Right and Left to reject the possibility of forming a government-supported from within or without by parties that don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as the nation state of the Jewish People,” wrote the organizations.
The organizations continued, “Any party whose members support terrorism must be rejected outright, whether it’s the Ra’am party of the Islamic Movement or the Joint List.
“All parties should reconcile with their political rivals because at the end of the day, the only thing that’s important is the Jewish state and Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.”
The signatories include Im Tirtzu, Regavim, Professors for a Strong Israel, Cafe Shapira Forum, Choosing Life Forum of Bereaved Families, My Israel, Headquarters for the South Tel-Aviv Struggle, Wounded IDF Veterans Forum, Lach Yerushalayim, Lavi, and Yozma Ezrachit.
Matan Peleg, CEO of Im Tirtzu, which initiated the move, said that the letter was a wake-up call to the heads of the Zionist parties.
“Our elected officials need to wake up and understand that they are leading the country down a path of selling out its Zionist values for no justifiable reason. The nationalist camp has a clear majority to form a stable government. We are calling on Benjamin Netanyahu, Gideon Saar and Naftali Bennett to take responsibility. The good of the country needs to come first, not personal emotions and mutual hatred.”
Professor Asher Yahalom, head of Professors for a Strong Israel, said he leaders of the nationalist camp need to “put the interests of the Jewish People first.”
“The challenges abroad and at home require the establishment of a nationalist government,” said My Israel head Sara Haetzni-Cohen.
Meir Deutsch, head of Regavim, said that “whoever is willing to sit in a coalition with those who do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state isn’t a Zionist. All of the spins and twists will not be able to obscure this ethical matter.”
Meanwhile, late Sunday evening reports indicated that Opposition leader Yair Lapid’s consultations with right-wing Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett were progressing and that Likud officials were concerned.
According to Channel 13, Lapid, head of the center-left Yesh Atid party, offered Bennett the opportunity to serve as prime minister first in a rotation government on condition that he completely renounce Netanyahu. Despite their different ideologies, Bennett – whose party has only seven seats in the 120-seat Knesset – reportedly is considering accepting the deal.
Netanyahu won 30 seats in the election. Next is Lapid with 17.
Religious Zionism chair Bezalel Smotrich is urging Bennett to partner with Likud in order to form a stable right-wing government.
On Sunday evening, Saar reiterated his conviction never to join a Netanyahu-led government, Hebrew-language media reported.