Israeli election update #15 - Former chief of the Southern Command Major General (res.) Yoav Galant is the latest addition to Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party. Every party in Israel it seems needs a military component, and Galant was probably courted by many parties. Galant was originally Ehud Barack’s choice for Chief of Staff back in 2010, before a controversy over land usage for his house knocked him out of the running. A Knesset Channel poll recently suggested Galant could bring as many as four seats to a party. - Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch is the latest Yisrael Beytenu member to step down in the run up to the election. In the past Aharonovitch commanded the Border Police and was the deputy chief of the national police force. Previous MKs that stepped down include Uzi Landau and David Rotem. Yisrael bayonet head Avigdor Liberman has said the party slate will be announced on January 19th. - In an interview on TV, current Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon criticized Jewish Home head Naftali Bennett as inexperienced and arrogant. There have been rumors that Bennett is interested in Yaalon’s job as Defense Minister, which he could likely request if his party is the 2nd largest party in the coalition (which it likely would be except if a national unity government is formed). - There has been quite a bit of response to a video (https://youtube/watch?v=2CYvsuHHWTA) released by web site kipa.co.il that interviewed several members of Jewish Home and asked them their opinion on gay marriage. The answers ranged from outright opposition to support for civil marriage, but no one supported gay marriage outright. Haaretz has an English translation (haaretz/video/1.636037). Dani Dayan, the secular former head of the Yesha Council who recently joined Jewish Home, said he opposed the government being involved at all in who marries who, but would take his party into consideration when voting on such an issue. Herzog and Livni, the heads of Labor-Hatnua released their own video condemning the interviews (https://facebook/video.php?v=855629611146671). Livni said “Jewish Home came out of the closet. They are a backward, homophobic and racist party.” Herzog told Bennet to remember that every person is “created in the image” without saying whose image. Bennett responded that unlike his detractors, his view is well known and he’s not hypocritical about it, suggesting that Herzog and Livni would never make passing a law supporting gay marriage a requirement of joining a coalition with them, since they know they need the Haredi parties to form a coalition. Bennett also said that the Jewish Home’s official stance on the issue is that they do not support gay marriage, but do support the benefits for gay couples, such as receiving the same tax benefits of married couples. - In response to the terrorist attacks in Paris last week, Israeli leaders sent condolences to French leaders such as President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Some leaders had other things to add, however. Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said the lesson that must be learned is that extremist groups need to be dealt with preemptively, and gave the example of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, headed by Sheikh Raed Salah. Salah was formerly the mayor of the Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, and served a two-year term in prison for funneling money to Hamas. Livni used a speech to students at the College of Management in Rishon Lezion to attack Netanyahu for Israel’s diplomatic isolation due to the failure to advance peace talks with the Palestinians (keep in mind that Livni was in charge of peace negotiations with the Palestinian in this past government). Naftali Bennett, who spoke at the same event after Livni, said Livni should travel to Paris and help them solve their problems, suggesting that sacrastically that negotiations and diplomacy were the solution. Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid called for French Jews to immigrate to Israel, saying European Jewry should understand that there is only one home for Jews and that is the State of Israel.” Netanyahu had a similar statement, saying “To all the Jews of France, all the Jews of Europe, I would like to say that Israel is not just the place in whose direction you pray, the state of Israel is your home.” - Today in Paris there is a solidarity rally expected to be attended by over a million people, which many world leaders are attending. Netanyahu originally said security considerations didn’t allow him to attend, but later reversed himself, perhaps after some of his political competitors announced they were attending. Netanyahu will now lead a delegation that includes Avigdor Liberman, Naftali Bennett, and Eli Yishai. PA President Mahmoud Abbas is also expected to attend.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 07:21:04 +0000
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