British News Agency

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued in a statement posted on his social media account that right-wing voters in Israel should avoid casting their ballots for parties that fail to cross the electoral threshold.

Citing the 1992 election, Netanyahu claimed that the combined votes of right-wing and religious parties, including Shas, exceeded those received by the Labor Party, Meretz and Arab parties. However, he said more than 65,000 votes went to right-wing and religious parties that failed to cross the electoral threshold. Netanyahu noted that these votes did not translate into representation in the Knesset, while Labor and Meretz won a combined 56 seats.

Netanyahu stated that then-Labor Party leader Yitzhak Rabin formed a government with Meretz and Shas and, after Shas withdrew from the government, relied on external support from Arab parties. He noted that the Oslo Accords process began under this government, leading to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and the transfer of territories and powers to the Palestinian side.

Describing the Oslo process as a "historic failure," Netanyahu pointed to the severe terrorist attacks and the Second Intifada that Israel faced in subsequent years, arguing that the security and foreign policy consequences of the process continue to be felt today.

Turning to the current political landscape, Netanyahu warned that right-wing voters' ballots could be wasted if the parties they support fail to cross the electoral threshold. He claimed that this could pave the way for the formation of a left-wing government involving Arab parties, Yair Golan, Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett.

Netanyahu called on right-wing voters to go to the polls and vote for Likud, stating that a right-wing government in Israel must be secured.