Likud MK says Shaked's run to the end was coordinated with them

Likud MK Yoav Kish revealed that Ayelet Shaked's decision to run to the end of the elections despite polls saying she would not pass the threshold was coordinated with the Likud Party in order to keep other parties below the electoral threshold in an interview with N12 on Wednesday.

"We didn't promise her a position, but there was talk of forgiveness. She did the right thing," said Kish.

Both Shaked and the Likud Party later denied the claim, with Shaked saying the decision to run until the end was her own.

Shaked added, however, that "out of responsibility for the right bloc, I talked with Yariv Levin and made sure that in case we do not pass the electoral threshold, the run will not harm the right bloc. Levin clarified that running is not at all harmful to the bloc, but the opposite."

The Likud Party stated simply that "there was no coordination with Ayelet Shaked." The party reportedly ordered members to stop giving interviews after Kish's statements.

Shaked was not expected to pass

Well before the elections, polls showed that Shaked would be unable to pass the electoral threshold. As of Wednesday evening, Shaked's HaBayit HaYehudi party stood at about 1.15% of the vote, well below the electoral threshold which sits at 3.25% of the vote.