Rivlin attributes Likud failure to economic reform

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) stated on Wednesday that the Likud must take collective responsibility for its downfall, saying "The entire Likud collapsed, not one person or another." Rivlin attributed the drop in his party's power to its support of the economic program "without which, the State could have reached the verge of disaster." In an Army Radio interview, he lamented that individuals hurt by the reforms were unwilling to forgive the Likud for their hardships. In facing the difficulties following the elections, the Knesset speaker insisted that his colleagues not engage in personal power struggles.