Oren Hazan on 103FM: "I was ahead of my time and took the heat"

Former Knesset member Oren Hazan spoke this morning on 103FM with Ben Caspit and Moshe Klughaft, addressing the primaries currently underway in the Likud party. "I am in a good place today, I am not part of this madness. You can be cynical, but when Klughaft wanted to run, he knew who to call for help. He knew exactly whose voice would not fall on deaf ears," he began.

Klughaft replied: "The early selfie with Donald Trump — you were ahead of your time. Today, people understand exactly what you did." To this, Hazan responded:

"My wife told me this morning: you are like the big brother. The big brother opens the door for all the little brothers and takes all the heat. Some will say that I was ahead of my time. The situation is much more complex. The State of Israel is at a huge crossroads, and I don't know how this event will end."

Caspit quipped: "Oren, you were basically the male version of Tali Gottlieb."

He further remarked on Gottlieb: "Some will say she wants to be Oren Hazan. I was Oren Hazan, I was who I am. I am happy with the path I took. For 7 years now I have not been an MK, yet people still call me 'Mr. Minister' on the street, even though I never was one. There is almost no one on the right or the left who doesn't tell me: 'When are you coming back?', 'We need you', 'Your voice is missing in Israeli politics'."

"I made a mistake, I wasn't elected, I thought I should be, but I wasn't, despite polls predicting an amazing result. Elections are a team game; you don't leave in the middle, and whoever does pays the price. Just as I paid the price, they too will pay," he continued.

Oren Hazan on Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Maariv Online)

He also expressed support for Knesset member David Bitan: "I think David Bitan should be elected, if only because it is thanks to him that there are primaries today. Gila Gamliel has given a lot, and Amichai Chikli has proven himself. He didn't stab anyone in the back; he sobered up. He didn't leave Bennett because he got a reserved spot, he left because he realized that the path of allying with the Arabs is wrong."

In conclusion, he provided a pessimistic forecast regarding Tali Gottlieb: "It is an enigma. If you had talked about Tali Gottlieb two or three weeks ago, I would have said she had no chance of being elected. She is not part of any deals. In the last two weeks, the media has been doing 'karate' on her. In the Likudnik DNA, when someone is attacked publicly, the Likudniks do the opposite. She could be in the top ten or at home. I think she will not be elected today, that is my assessment."