Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu Parties To Run On Unified Secular Right Wing Ticket

Nearly six months after shocking the political system by forming a unity government with Kadima, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown another curve ball by joining forces with Avigdor Lieberman ahead of the upcoming elections. In a special press conference held Thursday evening, the two men announced they were uniting the Likud and the even harder right wing Yisrael Beiteinu party under one ticket.

Avigdor Lieberman, left, Benjamin Netanyahu, right

Ynet reports:

Dramatic development: Nearly six months after shocking the political system by forming a unity government with Kadima, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown another curve ball by joining forces with Avigdor Lieberman ahead of the upcoming elections.

In a special press conference held Thursday evening, the two men announced they were uniting the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu under one ticket.

"We shall ask the public for a mandate to lead Israel with force. It will empower the government, it will empower the prime minister and therefore the state. I hope to win the public's trust again and to get a clear mandate from Israeli that will allow me to focus on what is important," Netanyahu said.

"Joining forces will give us the power to defend Israel and generate social and economic change," he added. The two refused to take questions, did not elaborate on the make-up of the new list and did not address the possibility of a rotation.

"We face tremendous challenges and this is the time to join forces for the State of Israel's sake. That is why the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu will run together under one ticket in the next Knesset election.”…

Ha'aretz adds:

The planned unification could have a far-reaching influence on the makeup of Israel's next government, with estimates indicating that Netanyahu will commit to advance the civilian-secular agenda that dominates the Yisrael Beiteinu platform.

As part of the move, Netanyahu could even prefer to include other secular-minded parties, such as Yesh Atid, Kadima, and perhaps even Labor, over the long-running link to the Haredi parties.

Comments

[Maskil]

Netanyahu could even prefer to include other secular-minded parties, such as Yesh Atid, Kadima, and perhaps even Labor, over the long-running link to the Haredi parties.

Wishful thinking.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

This is good news!

Leiberman has no love for the Haredim who considered him and his voters non-Jews, he advocates bringing back the Rabbinate to the Dati Leumi and having lenient conversions for immigrants among other things.

[TheRealJoe]

Such hypocrisy, suddenly the fact that this might turn into a united secular front, makes you salivate, so much. That you forget to mention Lieberman's massive corruption, which makes the Charadi politicians look like saints.

This new alliance will only broaden Addelson's influence and weaken the anti religious leftist secular media.

[Maskil]

Chillax regarding Lieberman. He "belongs" to the attorney general by threat of looming indictments. He has been completely neutralized since before the last elections. He did not say anything or do anything without explicit permission or instruction from Netanyahu his entire time as minister during this term. He never "ran his mouth off" or "alienated the Western world" before Netanyahu gave him the green light to do so. It was all part of Netanyahu's political strategy. Also, his demand to draft the Haredim, while it may be his, nothing was done about it. Netanyahu told him to announce the proposal of a bill "in ten days time" for a universal draft just before he was going to call for new elections. In the meantime Bibi made a sudden midnight coalition with Kadima and no one ever spoke of that bill again. Dead silence. But Netanyahu wants a strong functioning economy, and understands that the Haredim are part of it in their own way. They are consumers, and they have diamond dealers who pay millions in taxes. They are not wanted in the army unless for high level combat, and there is still a limited demand (and budget). Having their micro-economy collapse would wreak havoc on Israel as a whole (even if that is what it takes to rehabilitate them and merge them with the rest of Israel, but that would take a decade of healing and economic setback on the state). He will come to an agreement with the Pharasites when the time comes to make a coalition, because that means spending less on tens of thousand people going homeless and enormous military expenditures to absorb them and grant them the same services granted to all citizens re: assistance in completing high school and job preparation for after service). Just like Nir Barkat from Meretz has worked it out in Jerusalem, but with more panache and on a national level. He'll focus more on low level, underskilled employees and Sepharadi slums, schooling etc. with whatever money he can conjure up.

[Amazing]

Check out this amazing story:
Lending His Car Saved His Baby Daughter’s Life
http://matzav.com/lending-his-car-saved-his-baby-daughters-life

Maybe post it on this site

[Yosef ben Matitya]

the wicked of Sodom, just realised their potential and decided it's best of them to hook up with the best of Gomora.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

halakh haorev etzel hazarzir
or vice versa
but which is which?

[Maskil]

This evening Bibi showed up at 6:30 and started talking about the merger. Same stuff he's been saying. Michael Etan was given until 12:00 to produce 400 signatures (10% of the Central Committee) to petition a secret ballot. This was to either block the merger or to force a disclosure of the full merger agreement. If this succeeded it was expected that a "lighter" version would be voted on, rather than the more obfuscated, secretive version that was planned for approval. Conditions were that by 5:30 the signatures had to be turned in and only signatures of members who were in attendance would be counted. At 5:30 this didn't happen (it's not clear if Eitan ever intended for it to happen), and Moshe Kahlon, previous chairman (a new one has not been elected yet, despite electing a president and chairman being the first tasks of a new Committee) declared no grounds for secret ballot. Meanwhile the Likud constitution ch. 80 requires that a majority of the Committee approve such a merger, not just a majority vote. That means upwards of 1,850 members. The main hall had a maximum capacity of 1,800 persons. But there were other halls, which would make sense if there were a secret ballot, but made even more sense if all 3,000+ members showed up. So, getting back to the story, Netanyahu is talking. There are just under 500 people in the room, crushed together in the center in front of the stage. Kahlon gets up and embraces Netanyahu. You have to be following politics to understand the importance. Kahlon, who recently announced a two year hiatus from politics (because he wasn't going to get the finance ministry) was the only Likud member other than Netanyahu who even knew about the merger before it was first announced. Kahlon reads a two-sentence statement about the agreement between the parties, the same words that were handed out to the members who were present. Everyone is expecting him to say something, you know, to speak on the subject. Kahlon finishes reading the "agreement" and says: "All those in favor?" People raise their voting slips. You won't find 400 slips in the media pictures. Some people were so surprised they couldn't find their slips fast enough. "And those against?" A negligible few raise their slips. "And the agreement is approved." Do to Kahlon's current status, even if someone had a disagreement about how this was being done no one could say anything. Hatikva. Everyone leaves. The room was empty. At least four times the amount of people could have legally been in the room. There was crowding, but that was due to the fact that there were so few seats that it was ipso facto "standing room only." The vote passed with a majority, but with under 400 votes, and no where near the majority of Committee members required by the constitution. No one in the party knows how the Knesset roster will be effected, other than that seat 2 is Lieberman, and from there every third seat is Yisrael Beiteinu, because no one has actually seen or read the actual agreement, which was just "approved" and could have changes to Likud's designated positions. The party block will be called Likud Beiteinu.

The left is so scared right now it has asked President Peres to consider running as head of one of the parties. He has yet to decline.