National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in 2021 to a proposed coalition arrangement with Ra'am, Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich told "Aharon Yediot," the alias of a man who runs an independent Telegram news update channel, on Wednesday.
"Aharon Yediot" raised the negotiations between Likud and Ra'am before the formation of the [Naftali] Bennett-[Yair] Lapid government. According to the interviewer, Netanyahu had already agreed to the proposed arrangement, and the sides were close to finalizing an agreement.
"[Far Right settler activist] Baruch Marzel claims that Ben-Gvir also agreed to this arrangement," the interviewer said, to which Smotrich agreed.
When asked explicitly whether Ben-Gvir had indeed agreed to sit in a government with Ra'am, and whether Marzel was lying in making that claim, Smotrich denied the claim, saying, "No, absolutely not."
Smotrich went on to criticize figures on the Right who had considered cooperating with Mansour Abbas's party, portraying himself as the person who prevented the move.
"There was a complete failure of judgment on the Right as well, and even good friends of mine and good people fell for Mansour Abbas's false, sweet talk," Smotrich said. "I sounded the alarm bells, brought the materials, the recordings, the articles, explained to everyone how dangerous this was, and prevented it."
Willing to join government with Eisenkot, but not without Ben-Gvir
Additionally, Smotrich said that he would not rule out forming a government with Gadi Eisenkot, but not at the cost of boycotting his partners in the right-wing bloc.
The finance minister said that he believed the bloc could secure more than 61 seats, but linked that prospect to voter turnout and avoiding votes for parties that would fail to cross the electoral threshold.
"I think it's possible to get even more, if we all go out and vote and convince everyone to take responsibility for the country, for the future, for our children, and go vote, and if we don't vote for parties that won't cross the electoral threshold and throw votes in the trash," he said.
He then clarified that even if the right-wing bloc secured a decisive electoral victory, he would not rule out bringing additional parties into the coalition.
"I think that after there's a clear result, it will be possible to invite other forces from the opposition as well. Anyone who wants to join. We don't boycott anyone."
When Eisenkot proposed forming a government with Netanyahu's Likud and Smotrich's RZP, giving the coalition a majority of more than 61 Knesset members, Smotrich said he’d be open to joining.
However, when asked whether he would agree to such a government without Ben-Gvir, he said he would not accept any boycotts, stating he would be open to working with anyone who could “agree on basic principles."
"Aharon Yediot" pressed Smotrich on the possibility of sitting with Democrats Party head Yair Golan, but Smotrich said he didn’t think Golan would be interested.
"I don't think Yair Golan would come. He's an extreme leftist; he wants to establish a Palestinian state, shut down the pre-military academy in Eli, shut down Channel 14. He's the man who compared you and me to Nazis. Unfortunately, he's a man of hatred,” he said, but didn’t outright rule out working with him.
"If people want a unity government, then with everyone."
Despite his remarks, the finance minister emphasized that he still preferred forming a government with his partners in the right-wing bloc.
"I'm a member of the national camp. I go with my natural partners. I maintain that the national camp is the electoral backbone of everything that's important to me and to RZP," he concluded.