Right-wing challenge to Netanyahu builds ahead of Israeli election

By Rami Ayyub

 

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with member of the Knesset for Likud Zeev Elkin as they attend the swearing-in ceremony of the 22nd Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

 

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - A right-wing challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a March Israeli election gained momentum on Wednesday with the defection of a long-time ally to an upstart rival party.

 

In a letter announcing his resignation from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and parliament, Zeev Elkin, a minister in successive Netanyahu governments, accused Israel's longest-serving prime minister of putting his own interests ahead of those of the country.

 

"I can't ask Israelis to vote for you (Netanyahu) and to be satisfied that you are not putting your personal interests ahead of theirs," Elkin said in a speech broadcast live by Israeli television channels.

 

The election will be Israel's fourth in two years, and comes as Netanyahu faces criticism over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and battles corruption allegations, which he denies.

 

Elkin will join a new party led by fellow former Likud legislator Gideon Saar, who earlier this month announced a breakaway bid aimed at defeating Netanyahu. Saar announced Elkin's move to his party in a tweet, though Elkin made no mention of it in his speech.

 

The defections pose a new challenge to Netanyahu ahead of a March 23 snap election. Parliament's failure to pass a national budget on Tuesday triggered the early ballot.

 

Until his resignation, Elkin served as Israel's minister of higher education and water resources. Born in Ukraine, Elkin is fluent in Russian and has long served as Netanyahu's interpreter and adviser in strategic talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Sharren Heskel, a junior Likud lawmaker, also announced she was defecting to Saar's new party, writing in a Facebook post that Netanyahu's government "has lost the moral mandate to continue to govern".

 

(Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-24

 

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21 minutes ago, webfact said:

Right-wing challenge to Netanyahu

I don't know what is worse: That Netanyahu is still there or that there is a right-wing challenge to this right-wing guy.

48 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't know what is worse: That Netanyahu is still there or that there is a right-wing challenge to this right-wing guy.

All birds have a left and right wing.  

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I don't know what is worse: That Netanyahu is still there or that there is a right-wing challenge to this right-wing guy.

I'll tell what is worse, people who has no idea about Israel's politics other than what they want to hear, venturing an opinion, like they say, opinions are like rectum holes, everyone has one...

21 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I'll tell what is worse, people who has no idea about Israel's politics other than what they want to hear, venturing an opinion, like they say, opinions are like rectum holes, everyone has one...

Thanks for your opinion. ???? 

27 minutes ago, ezzra said:

I'll tell what is worse, people who has no idea about Israel's politics other than what they want to hear, venturing an opinion, like they say, opinions are like rectum holes, everyone has one...

A little sensitive aren't you?

18 minutes ago, sungod said:

A little sensitive aren't you?

Not little, a lot, specially from posters who either talk rubbish or looking to sling mud at everything and anything concerning Israel and Jews, Israel IS NOT beyond criticism, by all means, criticize where it's due but don't make it sounds coming from a haters to no matter what Israel does or say, and there are few of them about...

Are they frotting?

21 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Not little, a lot, specially from posters who either talk rubbish or looking to sling mud at everything and anything concerning Israel and Jews, Israel IS NOT beyond criticism, by all means, criticize where it's due but don't make it sounds coming from a haters to no matter what Israel does or say, and there are few of them about...

It seems the problem with many Israelis and Jews is that they think everybody who criticizes Israel, Israelis or Jews must be a hater. I.e. look at the settlers and Israels settler politics. How dare someone criticizes that. Only haters would do that - correct? NO!

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems the problem with many Israelis and Jews is that they think everybody who criticizes Israel, Israelis or Jews must be a hater. I.e. look at the settlers and Israels settler politics. How dare someone criticizes that. Only haters would do that - correct? NO!

 

  Many Israeli /Jews accept criticism of Israel , no issues with that .

There are many people who attack Israel, solely for the reason Israel is a Jewish nation .

Still alot of Anti-Semitism about

33 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

  Many Israeli /Jews accept criticism of Israel , no issues with that .

There are many people who attack Israel, solely for the reason Israel is a Jewish nation .

Still alot of Anti-Semitism about

The problem lies where they see any/all types of criticism as anti-Semitic.

An off topic post has been removed

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

Not little, a lot, specially from posters who either talk rubbish or looking to sling mud at everything and anything concerning Israel and Jews, Israel IS NOT beyond criticism, by all means, criticize where it's due but don't make it sounds coming from a haters to no matter what Israel does or say, and there are few of them about...

It is widely regarded as an apartheid state so from that base how can there be many redeeming factors to it.

8 hours ago, ezzra said:

I'll tell what is worse, people who has no idea about Israel's politics other than what they want to hear, venturing an opinion, like they say, opinions are like rectum holes, everyone has one...

What did he say thst was wrong. All you have done is rant.

 

Netanyahu should be in jail. Its a pity there is only a right wing nutter to challenge him. 

 

says a lot about israelis that its only a choice between those two.

2 hours ago, pegman said:

It is widely regarded as an apartheid state so from that base how can there be many redeeming factors to it.

 

  No it isnt , ALL Israeli citizens have equal rights , whatever their Religion , Gender or ethnicity .

Only Anti-Israelis call Israel an "Apartheid state"

8 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Are they frotting?

No, they are undertaking the 'I'm more right wing than you are" challenge.

3 hours ago, pegman said:

It is widely regarded as an apartheid state so from that base how can there be many redeeming factors to it.

The Earth was widely regarded as flat for a long time too.

4 minutes ago, mrfill said:

No, they are undertaking the 'I'm more right wing than you are" challenge.

Or the beautiful moment before a beerbelly bump?

Israeli voters have a lot of choices of political parties : nationalist conservatism, religious conservatism, nationalist secularism, nationalist Zionism and religious Zionism. Outside this cluster you have the +/- 20% minority Israeli Arabs.

 

Outside the Likud (Nethanyahu) you have profiles like Moshe Ya'alon and Benny Gantz with previous occupation as minister of defense and military interventions in the Gaza strip.

 

All others are representatives of minorities.

 

We know already now that Peace Plan 2.0 will be extended by Netanyahu. Whatever quantities of vanilla or stracciatella that he and his wife ordered in the past...

3 hours ago, CorpusChristie said:

 

  No it isnt , ALL Israeli citizens have equal rights , whatever their Religion , Gender or ethnicity .

Only Anti-Israelis call Israel an "Apartheid state"

 

Of course Israel is a racist apartheid country.

More than 65 Israeli laws discriminate against Palestinian citizens of Israel in all areas of life, including their rights to political participation, access to land, education, state budget resources, and criminal procedures. https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7771   and a major one:Palestinian Israelis' right to marry anyone they love if the potential spouse happens to be resident of a long list of Muslim countries, the Occupied Territories, or overseas Palestinian refugee communities even after extreme vetting. Security supposedly is the pretext, but of course its blatant racism in order to engineer phony apartheid Jewish majority demographics. Jared and Ivanka would never have such problems.

 

Or if you prefer to hear it from the horse's mouth, the current PM trying to outdo his rivals in racism...Netanyahu's comment on Israel's new Basic Nation State Law "Israel is not a state of all its citizens. According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people - and only it."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47524518

Edited December 24, 20205 yr by dexterm

2 hours ago, mrfill said:

No, they are undertaking the 'I'm more right wing than you are" challenge.

 

"More Jewish than you" challenge.

 

Elkin looks like he's winning in the photo.

 

"He's got the style, but has he got the stamina?.......What do you think Frank"?

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 20205 yr by Enoon