Top Likud MK on Netanyahu: 'He made all the possible mistakes'
"Why did he agree to give Gideon, Bennett, Gantz and everyone else the role of prime minister, just so he could not give it to anyone else in the Likud?" Edelstein asked.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFHealth Minister Yuli Edelstein and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen speaking at a Clalit vaccination center in Zarzir, on February 9, 2021.(photo credit: DAVID COHEN/FLASH 90)
While in public, Likud MK and former health minister Yuli Edelstein has kept fairly quiet regarding his decision to run in the next Likud Party primary.In private, however, he has told other high ranking Likud members that he intends on winning and didn't spare any harsh words for his party leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a series of leaked conversations published by Kan News on Sunday evening.During one of the conversations, Edelstein said, "I do not want to smear it much. I do not intend to be second on the list. I intend to win," and adding that if the current government starts to falter, it will be difficult to face Netanyahu.Edelstein was reportedly pleasantly surprised by the reaction to his announced primary run, saying "I was sure they would attack me, but I was surprised to find that no matter where I went, people kept saying it was time to replace Netanyahu."He continued to heavily criticize Netanyahu's conduct, saying that "He made all the possible mistakes."During the conversations, Edelstein exhibited frustration that Netanyahu would not resign during the coalition negotiations to allow another Likud MK to form a more ideologically homogenous coalition."Why did he agree to give [New Hope leader] Gideon [Sa'ar], [Yamina leader Naftali] Bennett, [Blue and White leader Benny] Gantz and everyone else the role of prime minister, just so he could not give it to anyone else in the Likud? Why should the Likud lose power?" He asked.Edelstein later expressed optimism that public opinion around Netanyahu will change, saying that "in a couple of weeks people will turn on the TV and notice that [Netanyahu] is not prime minister, the realization will hit them, and they will tell him the truth to his face."Last week, Netanyahu failed in his attempts to move up the Likud leadership primary after facing heated opposition from Likud secretariat head MK Israel Katz and Likud Central Committee head MK Haim Katz, who both said they strongly oppose the idea.Right after losing power, the party needs a period of stability without internal fights, Israel Katz said.Haim Katz said that “Bibi [Netanyahu] was chosen by a wide margin to be our leader for the next four and a half years, and no one is challenging that. So why would we need to have primaries now? We need Bibi to lead the opposition now and bring down this government.”Israel Katz said he also opposes advancing the primary because Netanyahu could be more vulnerable later on, as his criminal trial advances.Israel Katz last month suggested to Netanyahu that he temporarily relinquish leadership of Likud in order to allow for the formation of a right-wing government, an offer which Netanyahu rejected outright.
