The 11th slot on the Bayit Yehudi list remained vacant, the slot that party leader Naftali Bennett selects personally. He announced his selection on Monday 6 Shevat, naming former national soccer star Eli Ochana. The name is a popular one perhaps among young voters in the dati leumi community, but many political analysts are left scratching their heads.

In 2006 Ochana voted for the Kadima party and he was among those who backed the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif in the so-called 2005 Disengagement Plan. Ochana stated in his infinite wisdom “there are enough other places for them to live”.

One might have thought supporting the expulsion would disqualify a candidate from Bayit Yehudi’s list of candidates, but it appears if you are a former soccer star and can bring votes, ideology can be placed aside.

In a 2008 interview with Yediot Achronot, he said “A politician must be a scheming, lying manipulator and these are features that are far from me”.

In recent years Ochana has been an outspoken supporter of Likud and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but now, he is in the 11th slot on the Bayit Yehudi list compliments of party leader Bennett.

When Mr. Netanyahu cut monthly child allowance payments, Ochana wisely stated “One cannot satisfy everyone. I imagine those who have a difficult time in the short run will find it easier down the road. He (Netanyahu) was the best finance minister ever. He is a leader and in Israel we have a leadership crisis. We lack charismatic leaders of the caliber of Menachem Begin and David Ben-Gurion”.

Bayit Yehudi presents Eli Ochana (Hebrew):

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)