As the general elections draw near, the tactics used by the various parties leave much to be desired, for in the Israeli elections, little is left to the imagination towards earning additional votes.

In the latest round of election play, the “Likudnik” website that sides with Likud referred to HaBayit HaYehudi as “Ghetto Yehudi” in its disparaging remarks against different parties. Amid symbols synonymous with the Holocaust was a photo of Bayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett and at the center of the collage, in the epitome of tasteless and detestable electioneering was the infamous Nazi Yellow Star.

The Likud-affiliated Facebook page also warned voters that Bennett and his party is taking right-wing voters back to the days of becoming a sectarian party despite Bennett’s best effort to portray his party as mainstream. The anonymous Facebook posting stated “It took 60 years for the kippot srugot to break the sectoral ghetto that imprisoned them in the Mafdal (National Religious Party). Finally, we are recognized by the Israeli public. Now Bennett wants to take us back to the party of the dati’im. We prefer not being aloof and to influence from within.”

Shortly after word of the post began spreading, Bennett questioned public “My Likud brothers, what has happened to you?”

Likud/Beitenu campaign officials were quick to condemn the tasteless Likudnik website posting, calling upon Bennett to file a complaint with police. Bennett acquiesced and filed an official complaint, and as the pressure mounted, the identity of the anonymous postings was revealed, Moshe Effergan, a well known Likud activist and number 96 on the party list for Knesset.

After Effergan’s identity was revealed, Likud officials began proceedings to oust him from the party.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)