The members of the Central Committee of the Tekuma-National Union party on Sunday elected their representatives who will be incorporated into the joint list with the Jewish Home party for the March 17 elections.
Housing Minister Uri Ariel was elected to head the party, being the only candidate for the position. Attorney Bezalel Smotrich, Operations Manager for the Regavim NGO, was placed in the number two spot. He was followed by MK Orit Struk, MK Zevulun Kalfa and Nachi Eyal.
On the joint Jewish Home-Tekuma list, Ariel will be placed in second place, Smotrich will be ninth, Struk will be in the 15th spot, and Kalfa will be placed in the 18th spot, which at this point will likely not be a realistic spot.
89 out of 110 members of the Tekuma Central Committee exercised their right to vote for the party list in a secret ballot.
“Tonight we are choosing an excellent team of Knesset members who will continue to guard the people of Israel and the Land of Israel and to build it up and down,” said Minister Ariel prior to the publication of the results.
“We will maintain the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic, more social and more just. We will prevent anti-religious legislation or any harm to Israel’s Jewish character and we will promote all the values of Zionism,” he added.
Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party was quick to denounce the vote and personally attacked MK Struk as well as Rabbi Dov Lior, Tekuma’s spiritual leader.
“Every Jewish mother should know that if you vote [Naftali] Bennett, you vote Orit Struk,” Yesh Atid charged. “No ingratiating smile or a cool hipster video will hide the fact that the face of the Jewish Home is the face of Orit Struk. This is the same Orit Struk who thanked G-d for taking Ariel Sharon and this is the same Tekuma whose spiritual and political leader, Rabbi Dov Lior, believes that the reason for the abduction of three boys in Gush Etzion, was ‘anti-Jewish legislation’ by the Israeli government.
“Today’s elections in Tekuma spelled the death of Bennett’s attempt to dress up as a liberal, moderate and harmless Israeli,” said Lapid’s party.
Responding to Lapid’s criticism, the Jewish Home suggested that he “deal with cleaning up his shattered party and the corruption in its ranks”, hinting at Yesh Atid MK Boaz Toporovsky, who was questioned last week in connection with the corruption scandal at Yisrael Beytenu. Yesh Atid had clarified that Toporovsky was not implicated in any wrongdoings and was asked to assist the police by providing information.
“We wonder how a man, that one of his Knesset members was questioned only this week, does not find it necessary to show a little humility when he talks about people who were elected democratically, as opposed to the way his own party is run,” said Jewish Home.
“And all this before the biggest corruption of all – Lapid held up the housing market for his personal political whims, and only now that he is gone is Israel recovering from the ruins of his term in office,” added the party.
