Otzma Yehudit Party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Wednesday that he had offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a deal, according to which he would withdraw from Monday’s national election if certain conditions were met.
The conditions, said Ben-Gvir, were that Netanyahu would—before Saturday—cancel the Oslo Accords, change members of the committee for appointing judges, take control of the Temple Mount away from the Islamic Waqf and evacuate the illegal Bedouin settlement of Khan al-Ahmar, according to a report by Arutz Sheva.
“Yesterday evening we were in Sderot and met with dozens of Otzma Yehudit activists, who demanded that we run in order to have someone who promotes right-wing policies in the Knesset, and does not abandon the south,” said Ben-Gvir.
“Amazingly, we are being attacked by the Likud, of all parties, and ironically, the Likud warns us that a left-wing government might emerge, as if this government’s policy is a right-wing policy,” he said, according to the report.
“In light of the Prime Minister’s claims that there is a right-wing government without us, we in Otzma Yehudit are ready to accept the challenge, and we hereby inform the Prime Minister that if he so deeply cares about a right-wing government, if he meets the conditions which are the key things we want to promote in the Knesset, Otzma Yehudit can withdraw. We do not want and will not take even one shekel. We do not want any jobs,” said Ben-Gvir.
Netanyahu has tried to convince Ben-Gvir to drop out of the race out of concern that if Otzma Yehudit fails to cross the 3.25 percent electoral threshold, the loss of those votes could be enough to swing a close contest in favor of the Blue and White Party.
