Gottlieb Says Knesset Swearing-In Is No Cause for Celebration

Otzma Yehudit MK Tali Gottlieb said on Tuesday that she saw no reason to celebrate the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset, as she arrived at parliament ahead of the ceremony. She said she had not brought her family and described the occasion as a day for political work rather than celebration. “This is not a happy day,” Gottlieb said. She linked her reaction to the arrival of Arab-party legislators, whom she accused of supporting terrorism and opposing the Jewish state. Asked about an earlier humorous remark, she said she had no sense of humor about the occasion. Addressing calls for unity, Gottlieb said she did not believe Gadi Eisenkot, the head of Yashar, would join Benjamin Netanyahu or her political camp in a unity government. She accused Eisenkot of building his political effort around removing Netanyahu. She also defended the Haredi parties against insulting campaign language and urged them to stop accepting that treatment. Gottlieb said she wanted a broad, Zionist, right-wing government after the election. She described Avigdor Liberman as right-wing and said Naftali Bennett sometimes described himself that way. She appealed to party leaders, particularly Liberman, to work toward forming such a government.