T. Belman. My take away. They did not rule out forming a government with Bibi. They support a “Zionist” government but did not define this term nor did they mention Judea and Samaria. Their appeal was directed to centrists like Lapid and Sa’ar. They are trying to wean their voters away. This is good news for those of us who want a right wing government.
Yamina, Derech Eretz leaders announce joint run in the upcoming elections, oppose narrow govt. reliant on extremists from both sides.
Israel National News Jul 27, 2022
Shaked and HendelINN
Yamina chairwoman and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked gave a statement to the media Wednesday evening together with Derech Eretz chairman and Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel announcing that they would run together in the elections for the 25th Knesset.
According to the agreement between the parties, the Derech Eretz party will receive the 2nd and 4th places on the list for the Knesset.
“The State of Israel has entered a whirlwind in recent years. A foreigner will not understand this,” said Minister Shaked. “Political polarization which, like a snowball, has become the number one cause of governmental instability in Israel. Each group is fighting a war of attrition in the name of disqualifying the other side. A victory for one camp means grief and the destruction of the home for the other camp. The upcoming elections are a critical crossroads for the State of Israel. Each of the blocs aspires to form a narrow government that will rely on extremist elements.”
“Whatever the outcome of the elections, half the people will feel that their country was stolen from them. If a narrow government is established, it will be unstable and will only increase polarization and drag us into another election cycle. This is not the right thing. Together we will bring an exit from this unprecedented loop that politics has been forced on the Israeli people. I am happy about the cooperation with Derech Eretz under the leadership of Minister Hendel. Yoaz is an excellent minister with much government experience.”
“Together we will lead to the establishment of a Zionist unity government that can govern and take care of the very lives of the citizens of Israel. The housing crisis and the cost of living issues don’t care about ‘yes Bibi’ and ‘no Bibi’. Only a stable national government will be able to promote the free market in Israel and promote the prosperity of life in the country. I will continue to work to restore the power of elected officials in the face of the legal autocracy that has filled the governmental vacuum in Israel.”
“I would like to do some soul-searching towards the public that elected me. I know that many of you have been hurt. A year ago, when the government was formed, we wanted to prevent the madness of a fifth round of elections. We thought that was the right thing at this time for the State of Israel. We believed that it was possible to create a partnership in order to address the needs of all citizens of Israel. We undertook move that contained public and personal risks and opportunities.”
Shaked expressed regret that the Ra’am party had so much power in the current government, saying: “A Zionist government cannot rely on an Arab party.”
“Only a vote for the Zionist spirit will guarantee a broad national Zionist government. The unity of Israel is the value that is the basis of our existence as a sovereign Jewish state. The only way to address the fundamental problems of Israeli society is if we return to look at the big picture. And the big picture is that we have built this nation to establish a country that will be a light to the nations. A country that would be an object of admiration throughout the whole world.”
Minister Yoaz Hendel said, “We are standing here tonight, Ayelet and I, with a great sense of mission to get the State of Israel out of the crazy spiral it is in. Five elections in a short time has only deepened the rift and division in the nation. There are no winners here, only losers. We as a country lose. We Here for the State of Israel to win.”
“All my life I have chosen to believe. I defended the country as a soldier and commander in Shayetet 13, in my positions in the security system and as a decision-maker in the government. Everything I did was based on the belief that this is right and should be done. This is the Zionist spirit. This is also the reason why I joined politics. A belief that one can have a positive influence. I made difficult decisions despite threats and paying a heavy political price, for the State of Israel. Today Ayelet and I are creating this partnership out of responsibility for the future of the country. Out of a Zionist spirit. We are firmly opposed to a narrow Netanyahu government in which they will deal only with what is good for him. We are strongly opposed to a narrow government on the left with the Joint List and extremist factors.”
@Ted
Good point on both this and the issue of the JO.
I think current govt’s support of the illegal Arab construction while holding the Jews at bay provides an obvious advantage to the Right and probably Yamina more directly, given the hatred that Left/Center have for Bibi.
As to the JO, I think that this will be a complete game changing event for the Right to gain a serious amount of support from the current supporters of the TSS as the topic is more carefully discussed and considered. Given its many potential benefits, it honestly is a product that sells itself once understood, and the recent actions by Gantz will simply add to its likely consideration by growing numbers, particularly as near daily attacks on innocent Israelis have continued to take place.
@Peloni
She did a few things on the right and enumerated them. I still believe she is on the right, not the center left. She was up against strong forces. She still considers many voters for Yamina and New Hope as being on the right but at the same time not happy with Bibi. I leave it to her to craft her platform to collect those votes for her party and ultimately for a Bibi coalition.
I have high hopes for it. She just has to pass the threshold and she will bring 4 seats to Bibi’s coalition. That’s all I care about.
The raises another question assuming Mudar is right about Bibi. We have to make sure that that government capitalizes on the JO..
So far, all parties are talking in generalities with no specifics. This will continue through August and then the platforms will become evident..
Am I right to think/hope that illegal Arab construction and sovereignty over J&S will be a winning platform.
@Ted
How very telling. I wish Shaked every success as she fights Gantz/Lapid/Saar for their supporters, but the truth is that Shaked has a credibility issue which is going to confound her attempts in this endeavor. She supported the betrayal of the Right wing Votes that Yamina(Rightward) received as she advocated for the Leftist-Arab govt she joined under the leadership of her own party. She employed the mandates her party received to enrich the Brotherhood, and to empower the Left and permitted the return of the specter of the TSS. These were all done with her consent and her support, and yet she claims to have preserved the values her party was elected upon?
Now she is entering the fight for the Center-Left voters. In the first speech she gives as the party leader, she re-imagines who it was that actually elected her party in the last election. It was not the Left, nor the Center, it was the Right. Is there anyone in the country who are so beguiled by her duplicity as to believe this tripe? I have many criticisms to share of the Left, but I would never count them as desirous of duplicitous politicians.
Of course,the campaign is just beginning, but already Shaked is beginning from behind, barely passing the electoral threshold, transmuting from the Right to the Center-Left, and it is in the wake of all of this that she chooses to address the elephant in the room by describing it as a donkey. Not the best move possible I think. Still, as I say, I wish her every chance of clipping the wings of Lapid and Gantz, but she has a lot to answer for, and nobody respects a politician who is openly dishonest about failing to maintain a pledge, particularly as significant as the pledge Yamina breached before they cast their first vote.
Of course, there is the calculus that the Center-Left will be so appreciative of Yamina’s efforts to advantage the Leftists power coup and block Bibi’s return to power over the past year that they will overlook her lack of fidelity compounded with a lack of honest reflection, so who knows. Maybe they will really come to love her as much as we on the Right once did.
INN reports on interview with Shaked:
Commenting on the disappointment among the voters of Yamina that the party joined a government with the Ra’am Party, Minister Shaked said, “I understand these feelings. I know that half of Yamina’s voters find it difficult, but I want to point out that they should open their eyes and look at the facts, and the facts are that we have preserved the values ??of the right and the values ??for which we were elected. We built the settlement in Judea and Samaria, we developed the Negev, Hamas is deterred, there was an amazing Flag Parade in Jerusalem, the Iranians don’t sleep at night, the economy is booming. We did good things. We need to look at the facts.”
Regarding the slate that the union with Hendel will put forward, Shaked said, “Our slate will consist of half religious Zionists and half right-wing secularists.”
No mention of Matan Kahana. So does he get his own pep rally later on, or is he out? Time will tell.