The upcoming government will be an "Ayatollah government" and will involve "religious priests" who will make political decisions, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman said at a press conference ahead of his Yisrael Beytenu's party's faction meeting.
Rabbis were the ones who directed United Torah Judaism (UTJ) to insist on the Override Clause, and rabbis were the ones who directed Religious Zionist Party leader MK Bezalel SMotrich to inisist on the Defense Ministry. This shows that "religious priests" are forcing political decisions and is unacceptable, Liberman said.
Smotrich serving as Defense Minister will also harm Israel's national security, Liberman argued.
This is because reports emerged earlier this week that the United States would not fully cooperate with Smotrich, nor with Otzam Yehudit leader MK Itamar Ben-Gvir who is slated to become Public Security Minister. Any decrease in security cooperation will harm Israel's safety, Liberman said.
Most of the other parties entering the Knesset held similar press conferences on Tuesday.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz addressed the terror attack on Tuesday morning in which three Israelis were killed and another few injured. Gantz expressed his regret that the attack happened in a place that symbolized coexistence, at an industrial zone outside Ariel in which both Jews and Arabs worked.