Former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon, who left at a height of popularity 18 months ago announced that he will be returning to the Israeli political arena.
The 54-year-old Kahlon, who is credited with breaking the cellular telephone companies monopoly told Yediot Achronot that “The Likud of today is not the Likud I knew”, admitting he does not know if his return will be to his native party. Kahlon feels the “right-wing extremists” have taken over control of the party.
Kahlon explains his Likud was the Likud of Menachem Begin, a party that waved the banner of social equality and concerned itself with rehabilitating communities and the nation’s education system. He referred to it as a “pragmatic party that knew how to make peace when it needed to as well”.
He feels the party today has turned its back on social issues in exchange for security and diplomatic issues. He feels the party will pay heavily at the polls as a result of its current actions.
There is speculation that Kahlon may take some of his Likud colleagues with him and launch a new party. Others feel he is more likely to find a home in one of the existing parties.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Better journalism is to quote and immediate surveys that point out that his 10 seats come at the expense of all those flicker parties mainly yesh Atid.
There is certainly room in Israel for a party that leans to the right on security issues and to the left on economic and social issues. Kahlon seems poised to fill that void. And as someone with a reputation for being pragmatic on the issues, rather than dogmatic, he may be especially appealing to moderates. Current polls (for what they’re worth) give a new party headed by Kahlon 10-13 seats in the Knesset and show him taking voters from numerous parties but primarily from Yesh Atid and Sha”s.
A smaller shas may not be a bad thing if there is a smaller yesh atid.. Yesh atid feeds off Shas and a smaller shas would starve them. Cachalom understands that blaming Hareidim was yesterday’s story. He will decimate Yesh Atid.