MK Gabi Ashkenzai was interviewed on Saturday by Channel 12, regarding the coalition talks leading up to the establishment of the government.
"We wanted to replace the government, but the political results didn't allow for anyone to establish a government," he said. "I am convinced that most of the public wants a unity government. Fourth elections are unthinkable. This thing isn't easy us for us, it's hasn't bfor me, but the coalition comes with a price."
"I understand the disappointment of the public, I understand the break. The Blue and White project was amazing, and it wasn't us who broke it down. We are making the right choice, we compromised. We won't fill all of the positions," he added.
When he was faced with the criticism concerning the size of the future government, he said, "The end of the government will be smaller." He added that there were 30 offices in the government, "of which we'll add one more, and even that one we'll eventually take down. We won't fill of the ministerial positions, it's not coincidental that there's a reduction paragraph in the agreement, but I'll accept the criticism."
Further into the interview Ashkenazi touched on MK Yair Lapid's bill proposal that aims to prevent a prime minister from serving under indictment, "I don't understand it. They say to we should wait half a year, but in actuality it would be nine months until we would go to elections. In another three months there would the budget would be frozen. I see under a proposal such as that as a surrender, or a white flag."
He added that he was previously a soldier in the Golani Brigade and doesn't "raise white flags."
"I'm not convinced that for that law there was 61, because not everyone supported it. I don't think there will be a majority in legislation. For the next elections, it wouldn't prevent [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] from running. It's not the way. I think that we should even get to that point.
"I thought that in previous elections that we need to go to a unity government, and they said that we would win against him in the third elections, and we saw what happened."
"The law today allows the prime minister to stay in his position until the court says otherwise. There are painful compromises, and I still think that it was the right decision for the State of Israel."
Regarding any future plans, he said, "We didn't give up on democratic flags, there are many achievements here. There is no legislation that will not be agreed upon. In the first year we will only deal with the coronavirus. Any consented upon legislation will be done."