The Likud accused Yamina leader Naftali Bennett on Tuesday morning of "leaving the right-wing bloc" and refusing to help religious Zionist causes of his own party.Likud's attack came after a late-night phone conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bennett.
The Likud released the statement after Bennett burned bridges with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by harshly criticizing him in an online press conference. Bennett said Netanyahu would create a Palestinian state, missed his chances to annex Judea and Samaria and cared only about his own criminal cases, not reforms in the Justice Ministry.
Netanyahu's party blamed Bennett's refusal on the internal divides within Yamina, whose four leaders all sought cabinet posts. The Likud offered Yamina the Education and Jerusalem Affairs portfolios and a deputy ministry dealing with issues related to religious Zionism.
"Tonight it became final that Bennett and Yamina have decided to quit the right-wing bloc," the Likud statement said. "Bennett's refusal of our generous offer for Yamina to control all the issues that are important to religious Zionist reveals that he cares about cabinet seats, not ideology. It is unfortunate that due to internal conflicts, Bennett and his colleagues in Yamina preferred to join the opposition with [Yesh Atid head] Yair Lapid and [Balad MK] Heba Yazbak."
The Likud also complained that Yamina did not officially recommend to President Reuven Rivlin that Netanyahu form the next government, despite the party's campaign promises.
"Religious Zionism will continue to be a central plank within the Likud and the policies of the government," the Likud statement said.Netanyahu and Shas leader Arye Deri informed the dean of religious Zionist rabbis in Israels, Haim Druckman, that Yamina would not be joining the coalition. Netanyahu and Deri promised Druckman that religious Zionist representation would not be harmed in the selection committee for rabbinical court judges.