With the coalition negotiations dragging on this week, Likud chief negotiator MK Yariv Levin and the Religious Zionist Party blamed each other for the delay.
Walla on Wednesday afternoon quoted Levin attacking RZP chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich for demanding a "government within a government" and attempting to "take control over half of the government."
Levin blamed Smotrich for demanding certain authorities within a number of ministerial portfolios intended for other parties, including authority over religious-Zionist education currently under the Education Ministry and control of the nation's conversion authority, with is currently part of the Prime Minister's Office.
Smotrich also demanded control over the branch within the Foreign Ministry responsible for fighting delegitimization of Israel, as well as to chair four out of the 11 Knesset committees.
Levin called these demands "delusional" and accused Smotrich of interests that "had nothing to do with ideology," according to Walla.
The Religious Zionist Party responded by putting out a long statement, laying out what it claimed is the truth about what happened behind the scenes.
RZP said that its initial demand was to receive the Defense, Education and Religious Affairs ministries.
At presumptive incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request, Smotrich agreed to give up Defense in exchange for the Finance Ministry but with responsibility over matters pertaining to Israeli citizens living in the West Bank. Netanyahu then requested that he agree to a rotation with Shas leader MK Arye Deri in the Finance Ministry, with the other receiving the Interior and Transportation ministries, and Smotrich again consented, the party said.
Smotrich was then asked to give up the Education Ministry and take only the religious-Zionist education system, and he agreed to that as well; finally, the RZP leader was also asked to work out an arrangement regarding the Religious Affairs Ministry with Shas, which also wanted it, and Smotrich agreed to this too, the party claimed.
The Likud on Tuesday night then reneged on all of these agreements, the party accused.
RZP claims the Likud is trying to discredit and belittle the party
"The truth is that it is hard to keep up with the dozens of false spins that the Likud keeps on leaking to the press," the statement read.
"But unfortunately, the Likud decided to schedule a negotiation meeting barely once every three days, and in between to give briefings and spin intended to discredit and belittle us, and send battalions of tweeters and 'analysts' to lie, abuse and curse us vulgarly," the party said.
"So, who here wants to form a government and is making practical concessions, and who is trying to trample, humiliate and belittle the Religious Zionist Party?! We propose to the Likud that it begin to negotiate seriously," it said.
The statement went on to explain that RZP was not willing to concede in order to form a government, because it is a "mistake" not to look at the whole four years of the upcoming government and assess what the party will be able to do.
"What we build correctly now will work well for four years, but if we panic now, we will regret it for four years," the party said.
It also rejected calls to enter the government without fully hashed-out deals and that things will "work themselves out", saying that "things have not been alright for over a decade." RZP promised its voters that there will be real change, and was not willing to miss this opportunity, it said.
The party made clear that it still supported Netanyahu as prime minister, but that it "would not serve up an empty cheque nor enter [a government] blindly," and would not "surrender to dictations and discrediting." Coalitions are built on partnership and agreement, the party said.
RZP viewed the situation as a "wild and unrestrained attack" against it, and as "another attempt to humiliate and trample the Religious Zionist Party and ridicule the ideology and values for which it was chosen," the party concluded.
The Likud said in response in a statement of its own:
"Bezalel, on a day of murderous terror attacks in which the public expects a government that will give back a sense of security to the people of Israel – give up on the jobs and already tonight form a fully right-wing government."
"Bezalel, on a day of murderous terror attacks in which the public expects a government that will give back a sense of security to the people of Israel – give up on the jobs and already tonight form a fully right-wing government."
Likud statement