Yamina MK heard in recordings talking about the political picture, the Prime Minister and former partner Bezalel Smotrich.
Arutz Sheva Staff , May 04 , 2021 12:14 AM
Ayelet Shaked
Recordings of MK Ayelet Shaked (Yamina) published on Monday evening by Amit Segal of Channel 12 News reveal her true feelings about which kind of government should be formed.
Shaked is heard commenting on the possibility that the mandate to form a government would be given to Naftali Bennett.
“We’ll campaign. Bennett first in a rotation for a year and a half, say, and then Bibi for another two and a half years, that would be best for everyone. If Naftali receives the mandate from the right, he will not go with the left with the mandate from the right in his hand. It will not happen,” she says.
Shaked does not spare Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from criticism and says, “Because of his trial he will go even further to the right. It is the opposite of Sharon. It is true that all he cares about now is the trial. Unequivocally he does not care about anything. It is true. But it is true that all his considerations, and his behavior, and his conduct, everything is about the trial. It’s true he has to go. He has to go. But I told Gideon [Sa’ar], there is a country [to run]. So what now, do you create such an absurd coalition, with these people, just because he has to go? He got 30 seats.”
She also expresses herself in an unusual way towards the Prime Minister’s wife. “He is afraid to go to a pardon and plea deal because he is afraid of it, he is afraid that in the end he will have to admit guilt. And it will not work out. He is a very, very paranoid person, so he is afraid of it. And for the presidency, he wants to stay in power. He has a lust for power and authority, he and his wife. They’re like dictators. Like dictators, they are not ready to step aside. We do not have that.”
Shaked also talks about the contacts with the “bloc of change” and says, “We are really trying to avoid it. But if we had not progressed in this channel, then Netanyahu would not have given up, you understand? If Netanyahu had not known that we have a government on the other side, then he would not have made the concession. He would have gone to a fifth election.”
“He sees reality, and because Bennett has an alternative government, he was willing to give him a year and a half. Otherwise it would not have happened. It never would have happened. He would have taken us to another election. Bennett’s move here rescued us. We are paying a heavy price for it among our base, but I hope that if we can form a government, then we can explain it,” Shaked adds.
“We will be most happy if he gets Bezalel [Smotrich] to change his mind. Either with Bennett or if he gives the mandate to Bennett. But if he gives the mandate to Bennett, and we fail to form a right-wing government because Gideon and [Benny] Gantz won’t change their mind, we are not prepared to go to elections, so we will go for the option with the left, and we will try to persuade Bezalel to come with us, so that we do not have to take Ra’am. Sorry, this is not an ideological matter; So the state does not matter to him. If the state is important to him, if he thinks that the state should not rely on [Mansour] Abbas, then let us prevent us from leaning on Abbas.”
“You understand that if there is an election, the left can, with considerable probability, get 61 seats with the Arabs. It already achieved that in round two and in round three. So what did we do? Now because Netanyahu has legitimized the Arabs, no one has a problem forming a government with them. This is the great damage that has already been done. This is the great damage,” Shaked clarifies.
On Gideon Sa’ar, she says, “The Likud agreed to cover his debts. I do not know how that is possible. But they really put pressure on him in this matter as well. I sat with him for hours, hours. I sit with him for an hour almost every other day, and try and try. First and foremost, he is correct.”
“The truth is, Netanyahu also has to go. He is right. But what to do. So I tell him, there is an outline that he will not have a year [in office] and we will also limit his term. This will be his last term. Accept him for another term. You should know that Gideon and Evet [Liberman] truly think that Netanyahu is a threat to the State of Israel. They are convinced of it. It doesn’t matter, we do not think the same.”
Shaked also comments on someone who until recently was a close partner – Bezalel Smotrich. “There is sanctification of God’s name, and there is blasphemy. Smotrich is the one who does not listen to the rabbis. Naftali and I listen to the rabbis much more. He considers himself as someone who he listens to the rabbis all the time, even though we know it is not true.”
So Israeli politicians have two difficult choices. One try to form a unity government which will have right-wingers, centrists, leftists in it and try to create budgets, work on security, health-care, defense, electoral reform and housing. In Judea/Samaria and on religion/state issues keep the status quo. If these different parties can work together in a spirit of unifying the country and work for its best interests who knows maybe somehow Israel can have functional government.
Second choice have another election which might still not solve this merry-go-round of elections.
Two fundamental problems are keeping this merry-go-round of elections going. One Arab parties who are opposed to the Jewish nature of the country and do not make viable coalition partners. This is because the Supreme Court does not follow the law. Martin Sherman wrote a good op-ed about this. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305718
Second the electoral system needs to reformed and it needs to be part of a constitution to stabilize any reform passed via legislation.
Demonizing Bennett is Bibi’s current strategy does not solve Israel’s problems and only makes things worse. Bennett is trying to do what is best for Israel. Bibi is trying to what is best for Bibi. If Bennett and Lapid form a government and Bibi is not Prime Minister he could lose his immunity.
@ peloni1986:
I saw that. Netanyahu said more or less the same thing but he said that Bennett only had one demand, to be prime minister, and he was holding out for the mandate to expire so he could negotiate 2 years instead of one with Lapid. Both of them have made and broken promises but Netanyahu has delivered on many fronts over many years. Bennett has nothing to offer but his promises. Or had. Seems to me the revolution she refers to was mostly her innovative work as Justice Minister, which she should really be allowed to complete. Not sure what Bennett has accomplished, exactly of a non-routine nature.
Yesterday, on the eve of Yamina’s attempts to bridge a gap with their Leftist collegues and form a gov’t, Shaked released a statement. This was a few hour prior to one member of her party resigning due to Yamina’s overtures to the left…Here is her statement.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305648
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So, are these are the why’s and wherefore’s that have informed and motivated these great statesmen of the Right to be so determinedly disposed to the self-effacing act of denying themselves and the state this hard fought victory – just to depose this bruising dictator and likely empower the Left. Their aims are divisive and their focus here has become a self-harming circular madness. Shaked does express that among these fractious members of the Right a sincere concern presented by Netanyahu as a “threat to the State of Israel” while Iran returns to embark upon their US supported aim of dominance in the region and their real aim of destruction for the State of Israel lingers upon our horizon. Israel should be so fortunate as to have the luxury to concern itself with destabilizing a dictator as mild a threat to the state as Netanyahyu has proven to be rather than dealing with the rising menaces both near and far from her borders. But such a luxury should not have been attempted now given the current facts. Hence, Shaked’s words here further display a distinct nonchalance in the face of this growing menace among her many recalcitrant comrades. Her honest reflections here leave little to dispute a lack of perspective within the motivations of these players. And so, I pondered, how can everyone not agree with you, Sebastien, Israel really has need of this dictator. Though the state may not have him for much longer due to the extravagant egos opposing him, his despotic character might act as a great role model for these many anxious fools to hope to emulate as they launch themselves and their battered egos towards his position. In doing so, it might be hoped that the bruised egos of his replacements might gain a grain of the success that Netanyahu has produced in his long and happy premiership.
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@ Sebastien Zorn:
Your sarcasm here, Sebastien, speaks of a greater understanding behind Shaked’s shameful and, yet, unintended comments than was first apparent to me. Your witticism has been spinning in my mind since I first read it. Someone once remarked to me that sarcasm often serves to undermine a given argument, but I would suggest the discoveries portrayed by delving into your sarcasm here would disprove this notion. In fairness to any possible stretch of madness, Netanyahu has been a very successful national and international figure with a long history of managing the state along some very difficult times for which the state has rewarded him with an unnaturally long political life and, simultaneously, an unreasonable burden of dealing with an innumerable number of political enemies. He has not always acted to resolve all problems, but I believe any would be hard pressed to dispute the fact that the state is better in every aspect of life, prosperity and security than when he first or second came to power. That being said, he may not survive this latest assault by so many on his own side of the political spectrum. They have pulled from every corner to attack him, even using the legal coups conjured and manipulated by the Leftists to excuse their many misbehaviors. And now they libel him as a dictator. He is a dictator? Having secured the many peace agreements over the past year, he is a dictator? Having defeated Obama’s support for Iran in 2015 within his own Congress, he is a dictator? Having brought Israel to disproportionately high economic standing, he is a dictator? Having won the most seats by nearly double in this recent election, he is a dictator? Having brought the Right-wing in this recent election, to their highest electoral victory in years, he is a dictator? These are just a few of the more obvious successes of this dictator, but it must be admitted that this dictator has not enacted these great successes unattended. His hard fought victories were, as must be true with all diabolical leaders, the result of backroom deals, not entirely fulfilled and many political egos and careers have suffered as a consequence to these many harms of this terrible dictator.
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@ Bear Klein:
Yes, Bear, I did understand your meaning. The fact that the rabbi did release it was very unfortunate, and given the circumstances, it would suggest she honestly did not prefer the release of these statements. It would also suggest that these frank comments between she and the rabbi were her honest reflections. It helped no one, at least none on the Right, I think. It made them all look very petty at a very serious juncture of time while labelling Netanyahu as the excuse for all their actions. But I do understand the context that she did not want it to go public. It is, I believe, regretful that she was unsuccessful in convincing the rabbi in this.
@ peloni1986:
If you would have heard her talk she did NOT want it to get public.
@ Bear Klein:
Thanks for this context, Bear. It is always good to discern the proper circumstances of such things and I appreciate you sharing it. And yes, always better to go straight to the actual source than have to trust to media sources. It still does seem fairly well prepared for such a unintended release – a fair observation even with this context, I think.
Shaked spoke to a group of Rabbis and one of them decided to record her and then leaked the recording to the press.
Too bad more people do not know Hebrew then could listen to the politicians and reporters speaking for themselves, it is much more educational than just reading English articles.
What appears to be prepared remarks that would normally be released to the press is disingenuously being sold here as a hot mic moment of truth, but it does display the level of unease with which Shaked, at least, finds herself among her potentially newly won Statist friends on the Left side of the political road. Yamina seem to have placed themselves in the precarious position of becoming the center of attention, but to do so, given the limits of their small number of Knessett members, they have had to make a spectacle of themselves which may have placed them beyond the pale with their base by doing the unthinkable – coordinating with the Left while the Right could have worked for direct elections and won the election. This was, I believe a difficult move for Bennett and, if the many reports are not self-manufactured, even more so for Shaked. But they had little firewood to burn to create the kind of smoke which would draw attention their way beyond these alarming measures, and, of course, this too is Netanyahu’s fault. I wonder if they take the office of PM will they ever stop blaming the former statesmen for the necessity of their compromised enterprises. The only thing that they haven’t done thus far was to enjoin with Abbass, but now, I see, Shaked has revealed that this too they are willing to do on their march to power – and again it is Netanyahu’s fault. The Right-wing had but to work together to bring this victory home. Such a sad moment for the state, the region and more. Bennett may still be strong enough or unsuccessful enough to resist this path to the Left while seeking power, but, as Shaked remonstrated clearly in her diatribe, it is likely that he has gone too far and burned too many bridges to find a successful path home. If this suspicion bares any truth, it is a great loss for all, a truly great loss.
Yes, well maybe Israel needs a dictator at this juncture if you can even call it that. I really can’t imagine any of these hapless clowns continuing the progress Bibi is making on multiple fronts or why he should be expected to throw himself to the wolves to please his enemies when he won pluralities at the ballot box? There are no term limits and otherwise the system seems so arbitrary, it’s silly to say it’s undemocratic for him to stay in. I think a lot of this maybe all of it is personal animosities. I think she did a good job as justice minister except for her caving on the hilltop youth persecution. Otherwise, I’m unimpressed with her and even more so with Bennett.