Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked feels the Likud party is not keeping its word, referring to statements from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Naftali Bennett that the first coalition phone call from the prime minister will be made to Bennett. What Shaked fails to mention is that when Mr. Netanyahu made the statement, polls showed Bayit Yehudi receiving a double digit number of seats. Now, that reality has changed since the party has a mere eight seats in the 20th Knesset.

Nevertheless she told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) Likud officials are not addressing Bayit Yehudi as its major coalition partner. One should be aware however that the prime minister did phone Bennett on Election Day eve and the have met since elections.

What is really gnawing at Shaked is the realization that party leader Bennett may not be a senior minister as he believed would be the case. She hoped to be the next minister of public security but this too is not a likely scenario. It is also not likely Bayit Yehudi will maintain control of the Knesset Finance Committee or the Ministry of Religious Services due to the poor turnout in elections.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)