MK Yoav Kisch of the Likud Party confirmed on Wednesday that talks had been held between the Likud and Ayelet Shaked in recent days, so that the Jewish Home Party would not drop out of the election and stay in the race till the end.
In an interview with Channel 12 News, Kisch said, “Shaked’s run to the end was coordinated with Likud in order to keep parties below the electoral threshold. We didn’t promise her a position, but there was talk of forgiveness, she did the right thing.”
Likud was quick to publish a denial of Kisch’s statements, claiming that there was no coordination with Shaked, and imposing an interview moratorium on the party’s MKs.
Shaked responded to the reports and provided her version of the story:
- “The decision to run to the end was mine alone out of the belief that the voice of the Jewish Home is an important voice that must be expressed. Out of responsibility for the right-wing bloc, I talked with [Likud MK] Yariv Levin and made sure that in case we do not pass the electoral threshold, our run will not harm the right-wing bloc. Yariv Levin clarified that their position is that running is not harmful to the bloc at all, but the opposite.”
Source: Arutz Sheva