Shaked seeking leadership, equal representation in right-wing union

New Right chairwoman Ayelet Shaked reveals that she has put forward a merger offer to Union of Right-Wing Parties leader Rafi Peretz, which would see her lead a joint slate with each faction receiving equal representation.

“We made a proposal based on egalitarian [representation]. This is something that can be agreed on as early as tonight. It’s the right thing to do, putting ego aside,” she declares in a statement to the press from the Efrat settlement southeast of Jerusalem, where she and New Right No. 2 Naftali Bennett are touring with the pro-settlement Regavim NGO.

Just hours earlier, Bennett had agreed to step down from the helm of New Right after the fledgling faction failed to cross the electoral threshold in the April elections. Shaked was named chairwoman at a press conference yesterday where she called on the other parties to the right of Likud to merge in a united slate under her rule.

“We will run to the end, even if there are no mergers, but look at the polls yesterday that put us at eight seats. I believe that it is possible to be an independent and strong party, but would prefer to lead a broad right-wing union,” she says.

Shaked adds that she had spoken over the phone with Peretz and the two agreed to meet in person to discuss a possible merger.

However, as additional details regarding the New Right’s initial offer began to surface, URWP officials spoke out against it.

“These arrogant preconditions do not seem to advance us toward unity,” URWP director general Yehuda Vald tweets.

— Jacob Magid

בסיור עם תנועת רגבים.
הרשות הפלסטינית משתלטת על שטחי סי ע״י בנייה בלתי חוקית וחקלאות. שר הביטחון הבא ורוה״מ צריכים להקצות את המשאבים הנדרשים על מנת לאכוף את הבנייה הבלתי חוקית ולעצור את ההשתלטות.
כל יום שעובר מאבדים דונמים. pic.twitter.com/LfT1Axkomw

— איילת שקד Ayelet Shaked (@Ayelet__Shaked) July 22, 2019