MK Moshe Feiglin failed to secure a realistic spot on the Likud Knesset list after key Likud insiders including many of his former allies turned on him. Now, as Feiglin weighs his political future, Otzma Yehudit chairperson Dr. Michael Ben-Ari is calling on him to join his party.
Writing to Feiglin on Sunday morning, ahead of a decision by Feiglin and his associates on Monday as to his next steps, which reportedly could include forming a new party, Ben-Ari stressed the need for unity in representing the ideological religious right-wing that opposes compromise.
“This is the hour for a unity of forces to lead the nationalist camp,” wrote Ben-Ari to Feiglin. “Today you too understand that the Likud is nothing more than a collection of opportunists, who led the state of Israel to disaster after disaster, and all in the name of the ‘right’ as it were.”
Explaining his statement, Ben-Ari continued “Menachem Begin was the first to expel Jews and destroy communities (in Sinai), he also recognized the ‘right to self-determination by the Palestinian nation,’ a determination which the Labor party headed by Golda Meir rejected outright.”
“Yitzhak Shamir was the first to hold talks with the terrorist organization PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) at the Madrid Conference, and the disaster of the ‘Disengagement’ and establishment of a Hamas state on the neck of Israel was brought on us again by Likud people,” said Ben-Ari, noting that Disengagement architect Ariel Sharon broke off from Likud to force the move through and received votes by key Likud members to pass it.
Remarking on Feiglin’s attempts in Likud, Ben-Ari wrote “the attempt to integrate from within and pull the Likud after you didn’t succeed. The time has come to pave a path from outside and build Jewish national leadership directly, without giving a Kashrut (i.e. authorization) to a leader who raised the banner of the ‘vision of two states,'” a reference to Binyamin Netanyahu’s infamous 2009 Bar Ilan speech.
“I call on you to join hands in a run for the next Knesset,” said Ben-Ari. “For a party that will turn to those who are disappointed with the parties that speak ‘right’ and conduct the platform of the left.”
“This party that will integrate in it the loyal national forces from the Torah(-observant) and general public will give a response to the demand of the many in the public who are tired of the ‘calming policies,’ of releasing terrorists and weakness in front of the enemy, and all in the name of the ‘right,'” wrote Ben-Ari.
Ben-Ari concluded by writing “Moshe my friend, the time has come to return home.”
In addition to Feiglin, there have been calls for Otzma Yehudit and Eli Yishai’s new Yachad – Ha’am Itanu party to join together.
While Ha’am Itanu apparently intends to join with Netanyahu in a potential coalition and therefore may not have a firm enough ideological line for Otzma Yehudit, it has been suggested that the two join in a technical bloc allowing them to run on a joint list in the elections and then separate afterwards if such a move is desired.
Ben-Ari entered the past Knesset in Uri Ariel’s National Union party on a similar “technical bloc,” with an agreement having been made that Ben-Ari could separate from the party on the day after elections given the different ideological focus of the two.
As it stands, Otzma Yehudit is not projected to pass the new Knesset threshold on its own.
