Peretz said refusing to break with Otzma Yehudit for unity with other parties

Jewish Home leader Rafi Peretz has declared he won’t break his unity pact with the far-right Otzma Yehudit party as a condition for running together with the New Right and National Union factions, according to Hebrew media reports.

“Despite all the criticism, we are saving tens of thousands of right-wing votes. These votes went to the trash in the last elections. I don’t intend to give up on this tie-up,” Peretz is quoted saying by the Walla news site.

Peretz told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New Right leader Naftali Bennett he’s sticking with Otzma Yehudit, Channel 12 news says. Netanyahu has called for all parties to the right of Likud to run on a joint list in the March 2 elections.