Opposition leader MK Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union) admitted on Tuesday that, following the last election, he considered joining a national unity government headed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“There was a moment after the election when I thought it would be worthwhile to see whether it was possible, together with Netanyahu, to take the country out of the current situation and bring about a dramatic change,” revealed Herzog during his speech at the annual conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

He then proceeded to attack Netanyahu, saying that “Bibi was afraid to move” and that this was the reason for the failure of negotiations for a unity government.

“If he was afraid to move, there is nothing I can do with him,” added Herzog.

He then spoke about the criticism of the government and of the Prime Minister voiced by Education Minister Naftali Bennett earlier at the same forum.

“Even the chairman of the Jewish Home, Naftali Bennett, who spoke here this morning agreed with me and said the government and Netanyahu himself have no solution and did not bring security,” Herzog said, noting that while Bennett criticized, “he offered no practical solution. By the way, I would expect Bennett to act responsibly. After what he said this morning, he should have resigned.”

Herzog’s comments follow several reports in recent months that he was looking at the possibility of joining the coalition and that Netanyahu was trying to lure him in.

One report claimed that the Prime Minister had offered Herzog seven portfolios – including foreign affairs and justice – and was also willing to “phase out” Bennett from the coalition.