Bennett issues veto over Kahanists on his ticket
▶ ISRAEL’S PARTIES to the right of Likud nearly entered this election divided after Naftali Bennett’s New Right categorically ruled out joining Jewish Home.
The party, which he leads with Ayelet Shaked, the former justice minister, is running a list along with National Union’s Bezalel Smotrich, who ran together with Jewish Home in the two elections of 2019.
The parting of ways came after Jewish Home’s Rafi Peretz signed a deal with Jewish Power’s Itamar Ben Gvir to run a joint list in which the Jewish supremacist would have had the third spot. Mr Peretz did not consult either colleagues in his own party or Mr Smotrich on the decision.
On Sunday night, scuffles broke out at a meeting of Jewish Home’s central committee as members argued over Mr Peretz’s demand that he be given authority to hold negotiations with the sister parties and decide the list.
Ultimately, he won that vote, but Jewish Home’s leadership remained woefully disorganised as a 10pm deadline drew close on Wednesday to declare its official list of candidates for the March 2 election.
After signing the Jewish Power deal, Mr Peretz came under attack for going behind his allies’ backs, prompting Mr Smotrich to walk out of the alliance and joined New Right.
“In recent weeks, we have been doing everything to [generate] genuine responsibility for a linkup that would bring hope to religious Zionist and ideologically right-wing voters,” Mr Smotrich said on Tuesday.
The National Union leader called on Jewish Home to join forces with him and New Right - a call that was reinforced by Benjamin Netanyahu, who is eager to ensure the right-wing vote is not divided.
Mr Bennett issued a call of his own for Mr Peretz and his party to join them, but his invitation came with a condition: the exclusion of the Jewish Power. He was concerned that the Kahanist party’s inclusion on a joint slate would alienate more moderate-minded voters.
But it was only late on Wednesday night that the unity call was heeded. Even though Jewish Power issued a statement accusing Mr Bennett and Mr Smotrich of “abandoning religious Zionism”, Mr Peretz’s Jewish Home party will now run alongside the New Right and the National Union. Mr Ben Gvir has been excluded.