Bitan: "If we don't have the Haredim in the bloc - we will lose power"

MK David Bitan, in an interview ahead of the Likud primaries, says he would not have agreed to a reserved slot even if Netanyahu had offered it. He criticizes the slots made "in the dead of night," calls on Netanyahu to give up the remaining slots, and warns that if the Haredim do not stay in the bloc, the right will lose power. Bitan defends his social record and denies that his personal indictment influences his positions.

In a wide-ranging interview with Israel Hayom, MK David Bitan addresses the upcoming Likud primaries, the reserved slots (shiryonim), the conscription of Haredim, and his relationship with Netanyahu. Bitan, who has been elected in the past both on the national list and in districts, says he believes he will be elected again this time, and clarifies that he would not have agreed to a reserved slot even if Netanyahu had offered it. He criticizes the recent slots, including that of Oren Dobronsky, and calls on Netanyahu to give up the remaining slots to maintain party unity. Bitan describes himself as a team player with opinions, and emphasizes that he has supported Netanyahu since he came from the UN, but there are things that are important to him. On the issue of Haredi conscription, he says the law should have been enacted at the beginning of the term, not "from zero to one hundred in one stroke," and warns that if the Haredim do not stay in the bloc, the right will lose power. He also defends his social record, including the free travel law for citizens over 67, and denies that his personal indictment influences his positions, calling it a "spin."