An offshoot of Likud, the “New Likudniks” group, began a campaign this week using digital media and billboards, calling on senior party officials to enable the immediate establishment of a national-unity government by giving up on the right-wing bloc, according to an Arutz Sheva report on Monday.

The group claims that a recent poll shows that Likud voters consistently support a national-unity government and that they are willing to exchange the right-wing bloc of 55 MKs in order to establish it.

The group stresses that the insistence on maintaining the right-wing bloc is a betrayal of the will of Likud voters. “Likud and Blue and White need to close on the foundations of the government first of all, and additional parties will join later,” the group stated.

A Facebook post on Sunday by Nir Hirshman, one of the leaders of the New Likudniks, said that Likud voters do not share the same values of the MKs of the other parties in the right-wing bloc, such as Ministers Yaakov Litzman (Degel HaTorah), Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Bezalel Smotrich (National Union). “We’re Likudnikim, not “gushnikim” [members of the bloc],” Hirshman wrote. “The goals of Likud are liberal goals, which has nothing to do with the “bloc” parties beyond the interest of criminal suspects.”

“Another issue is the amount of influence Likud will have in a national unity government,” Hirshman continued. “We don’t need to divide the few ministries, committee heads and budgets with additional parties which our voters didn’t vote for.”

Hirschman added, “Establishing a national unity government led by the Likud is the highest interest of the state of Israel. We’re currently paralyzed. It’s impossible to invest in the economy or security. It’s impossible to pass laws and establish reforms. It’s impossible to improve the health system or allocate budgets for education. We’re being destroyed here and the politicians are playing with blocs. The time has come to end the ego games and return to running the country.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)