Even though Yisrael Beiteinu MK Eli Avidar was disappointed that he didn’t get an executive role in the new cabinet, he said he still supports the new government.
“I will not be satisfied to serve the people who voted for me from the coalition MKs’ bench,” Avidar wrote on Twitter. “But, we received our reward when we changed the government. Everything else is a bonus.
There were rumblings that since Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman didn’t give Avidar an executive role, he might not support the government. He denied those rumors.
“Whoever thinks I will hurt the [unity] government because of a position is a fool,” he wrote.
Avidar frequented protests outside former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house and made it clear that removing him from office was his top priority.
He wrote that the government should reach out to Joint List leaders Ahmad Tibi and Ayman Odeh and work together to improve Israeli society.
Avidar wanted to be a larger part of this new wave of change in Israeli politics, and even though he won’t be doing it in an executive role, he’s excited to see it through.
“Changing the government was the first step in this journey to repair and revive Israeli society,” he wrote. “We must continue the campaign to correct two failures: eradicating government corruption and fortifying Israeli democracy.”
Druze MK Hamed Amar took Avidar’s ministerial position on the Finance Ministry. Avidar wanted the combined positions of agriculture minister and Negev and Galilee development minister. However, Liberman appointed MK Oded Forer for that position.
Avidar might break off from Yisrael Beiteinu, even though Liberman reaffirmed his support for him. He would be an independent MK, comprising the ninth faction in the 61-seat unity government.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.