MK Yoni Chetboun, What Happened?

ז' לחודש האחד עשר תשע"ה

Arutz 7: Otzma Yehudit Reveals Why Yishai Joint List Talks Failed
Ben-Ari's party and Ha'am Itanu discussed joint list to avoid 'lost right-wing votes' - but a Yishai associate allegedly 'torpedoed' it.

Shimon Cohen, Ari Yashar, January 26, 2015

Former MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari's Otzma Yehudit party and MK Eli Yishai's Yachad - Ha'am Itanu were in last minute talks Sunday night to form a joint list and ensure both parties don't miss out in the coming elections, but apparently those talks have fallen through, and Otzma Yehudit says a person close to Yishai is responsible.

According to a source in Otzma Yehudit, both parties generally agreed on all the major issues that would allow them to run as a technical bloc for the elections and afterwards split while keeping their seats, with Yishai likely joining a Likud-led coalition and Ben-Ari being in the Opposition.

"However, during the negotiations a representative from Yishai's Ha'am Itanu party surprised us and claimed the first four spots are already 'flooded' with knitted kippot (national religious Jews as opposed to haredim - ed.), and there's no room for another knitted kippah in the first four," revealed the source.

A point of friction in the last minute talks was that Ben-Ari requested the fourth and sixth spots on the list, as opposed to just the sixth spot, given that polls have shown without his party Yishai will not make it past the threshold for entering the Knesset, whereas the combined list would get a comfortable seven mandates.

"We were very surprised by the allegations of these words that show a lack of understanding in terms of politics and simple mathematics," added the Otzma Yehudit representative, noting the polls showing Yishai's poor chances running alone.

Given the refusal to give greater representation to Otzma Yehudit above the sixth spot, the party has said it cannot join in a technical bloc, and accuses an unnamed MK connected to Yishai's list, other than Yishai himself, as being responsible for the situation.

According to the Otzma Yehudit source, "we were surprised that instead of showing responsibility, this MK ran from place to place, leaked inaccurate leaks, and tried to torpedo the negotiations by force."

The unnamed MK allegedly said that another point of contention between the parties centered on Otzma Yehudit's insistence that Jewish access to the Temple Mount be a plank in the party's platform, but the Otzma Yehudit source says there is no disagreement on this subject, since Yishai's mentor, Rabbi Meir Mazuz, has already come out in support of ascent to the Temple Mount. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

MK Eli Yishai

"However, during the negotiations a representative from Yishai's Ha'am Itanu party surprised us and claimed the first four spots are already 'flooded' with knitted kippot (national religious Jews as opposed to haredim - ed.), and there's no room for another knitted kippah in the first four," revealed the source.

This is truly one of the silliest thing I have ever heard regarding an election. Unfortunately, and this should be no secret, there is plenty of resistance among mamlakhtim (diehard State loyalists) to any unity with Haredim. The mamlakhtim seemed to be more concerned with what they have in common in regading to their relationship with the State, than with Torah. The so-called Jewish Home Party is a good example of this, open to non-religious candidates, and perhaps even non-Jewish candidates, but to Haredim? And so, there may actually be something practical to what was stated here. Unfortunate, but perhaps practical.

"...MK Yoni Chetboun, who left Jewish Home to join Ha'am Itanu (and is the only MK beside Yishai on the list..."

Looks pretty suspicious to me.

I have written positively about MK Yoni Chetboun (Yachad - Ha'am Itanu), which is rare for me, especially concerning one who has still not completely climbed out of the mamlakhti box.

So, I am more than a little disappointed in Chetboun, if the above report is an accurate one. Sure, I support more "Haredim" on the list. But, you want to be practical, right?

MK Yoni Chetboun

"We won't be dragged to the level of this goading discussion," said Chetboun disparagingly. "We have responsibility towards the nationalist camp and therefore to save the lost votes, we offered him (Ben-Ari) a reserved sixth spot." 

Glossing over the danger that Yishai's independent run will also result in "lost votes", Chetboun continued: "it's a shame he is refusing, insisting time and again to lose votes for the right. Right-wing voters should know and internalize that Ben-Ari's independent run is liable to bring a leftist government of Tzipi (Livni) - Buji (Yitzhak Herzog)."

Ben-Ari will bring many votes that those with crocheted kippoth, you already have on your list. If you do not know this, then you are out of touch with the very people you think are going to vote for you, and you really don't have any being in the K'nesseth.

Yes, the people are coming around, waking up to the severe differences between Torah and State loyalty, and are demonstrating their preference for Torah.

Micha'el Ben-Ari

Regarding the issue of "lost votes," Otzma Yehudit has argued in the past that their ideologically-concerned voters will not have a party to vote for if they do not run, which would mean "lost votes" in any case, and that many religious Zionist voters disappointed with Jewish Home would also not vote at all without them as an alternative.

If the polls are any indication of what the K'nesseth makeup will be like, then the next one will not include either Micha'el Ben-Ari, Eli Yishai, or Yoni Chetboun.

Time to get it together.