Galon: Meretz’s fall ‘a disaster’ for the party and country, I warned Lapid

Meretz party chief Zehava Galon speaks out on her party’s ejection from the Knesset.

“This is a very difficult moment for me and for my friends in Meretz,” she says.

“The election results are a disaster for Meretz, a disaster for the country and yes, a personal disaster for me too.”

She says the results had been a “nightmare” scenario for her in recent days.

“I pushed for a merger with [Labor chief] Merav Michaeli, and in recent days I warned Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his people that they were playing with fire [by seeking votes from the left]. That if we were not careful, not only Meretz but the entire camp would pay the price.”

She argues that “the victory of the right, with its racist and repressive partners, is not really a victory. There is an equal number of Israelis on each side” and vows to continue to fight for the party’s values.

“In the end we will win,” she says. “Even if the winter is hard, it will not stop the coming of spring.”