Likud Minister Gilad Erdan said in a live interview panel Saturday at a Tel Aviv theater that the first party to join a Likud coalition after the elections will be the Jewish Home, who are Likud’s “natural partners.”
“My preference,” Erdan added, “is a government – assuming that Bibi will form it – with [Jewish Home Chairman] Bennett, haredim, [Moshe] Kahlon and [Avigdor] Liberman, and after that – I do not rule out anyone, on the condition that he adopt the basic principles of the government under Likud.”
He warned, however, that Likud is by no means certain to defeat Labor. “We are in danger that the Likud and the ‘national camp’ will not form the next government, but that Tzipi [Livni] and Buji will do so, with the support of Ahmed Tibi, who will probably be a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,” he said, using the nickname Labor head Yitzhak Herzog is known by.
Erdan was referring to a statement by Herzog that he does not rule out appointing MK Tibi, an open supporter of terror who served as aide to Yasser Arafat, to the highly sensitive Knesset committee. Tibi has said the United Arab List would support a Labor-led government in return for various commitments, which he did not elaborate on.
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