Minister David Amsalem was asked on Wednesday in an interview with Reshet Bet Radio if he was concerned about the brewing civil war between the left and the right in Israel, and responded, “The left doesn’t believe in the democratic principle. Once they reject your legitimacy, it must be addressed.”
He added that the right-wing coalition would not accept the possibility of the High Court invalidating Ronen Bar’s dismissal. “We will not accept it,” he vowed. “There is no choice but to defeat the left. Once your legitimacy is rejected, we must take a stand.”
He added, “On a personal level, I always value compromise. But the left and its supporters do not accept the legitimacy of Likud voters, and they refuse to compromise on that. I cannot compromise on being treated as a second-class citizen. We are a government elected with 64 seats, and we were elected to implement our policy. Truth be told, there is heresy on their part.”
David “Dudi” Amsalem, 61, serves as the Minister for Regional Cooperation, adjunct minister at the justice ministry, and Minister Liaison between the Government and the Knesset. A member of Likud since the early 1990s, he has also been part of the Likud Secretariat and served as Chairman of the Likud branch council in Jerusalem.
In early February 2022, Amsalem won first place in the “Master Chef Special VIP” program, which aired on Channel 12.
Amsalem said that when he hears Yesh Atid and Opposition Chairman MK Yair Lapid say, “We will shut down the country,” it’s a civil war.
“There is an escalation,” he explained. “You start by blocking roads, and damaging property, and the violence becomes legitimate. Yesterday we entered the Knesset and some prevented our entry. This is a civil war. The left has no restraints, they raise a phase every time. We continue on our path, we will carry out the reforms, we will alter the elite.”
“The left says, ‘This is Ben Gvir’s police commissioner,'” Amsalem continued. “It’s forbidden to say that.” He was asked if criticizing the commissioner is also a form of civil war and replied: “No. When Barlev was minister, I didn’t call the police ‘the Barlev police.’ I don’t call the chief of staff derogatory names. I don’t call the head of the Shin Bet a ‘leftist.’ He has earned a lot of merit in the State of Israel. But when a prime minister doesn’t get along with the head of the Shin Bet, one of them has to go.”
