[Also National Union in Plea to MKs Eldad, Ben Ari: Don’t Do It]
MKs Michael Ben-Ari and Aryeh Eldad of the National Union announced Tuesday that they are splitting off from the NU and forming a new faction, “Power to Israel.”
Eldad wrote on his Facebook page, “Today we announced, MK Michael Ben-Ari and I, the forming of a common faction, ‘Power to Israel’, because that is what Israel needs today.
“When rockets are fired at a million residents of the South, and the state of Israel continues to supply water, power and food to Gaza; when millions of residents of the large cities in Israel live in fear of 100,000 African immigrants; if a million Arab citizens live like there are no duties and only rights – taxes, building permits, speed limits are unfamiliar terms for them – then Israel needs power.”
Eldad explained that a vacuum has formed in the Israeli right wing. “Lieberman has joined Netanyahu and will sit on a list that will include Dan Meridor. Deri is taking Shas leftward to the days of Oslo. So there is a need for an ideological right that will say things that have been forgotten: without duties there are no rights. The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel.
“The National Union is falling apart. This is not how you run a political system. We therefore congratulate Ketzaleh and Uri Ariel, who are going home to the Mafdal (National Religious Party). We have no doubt that they will take care of the religious Zionist sector, but we have a different agenda.”
MK Ben Ari said that unlike other parties, Power to Israel will not join the coalition in return for jobs or budgets, but only in return for implementation of the principles that will empower Israel.
MK Eldad said that the two conducted a poll that showed that Ben Ari alone would receive two Knesset seats, while both of them together would garner three.
In spite of having only the most vague and superficial knowledge about the matter, here I offer my two cents:
(Has that ever stopped her? – you’re probably thinking….)
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With increasing opposition to Two States, it makes sense to create a nucleus for secular nationalism. The experimental alliance between the very religious and the more secular MKs like Eldad within National Union didn’t work. Time to try something else.
There is NOT an absolute need for a religious reason to love the land and to fight to retain it. Ask any country.
The secular must be brought into a larger and more inclusive nationalist party. One that won’t compromise its most basic tenet: all the heartland belongs to Israel.
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I really hope for a realignment that will someday break up the fraudulent Likud between those MKs who truly love the land – and those who just love their job$ so much that they would sell their moms to keep it.
Any MK still supporting disengagement or Two States after the painful experiences with Sinai and Gaza, ought to be laughed out of the Knesset. I’m not inclined to inflict rougher treatment, so I’ll leave further suggestions to other Israpundit commentators.
🙂