New Liberman campaign video promises gov't without haredim
Yisrael Beytenu Twitter video shows a picture of Netanyahu: “Voting for him? You’ll get them,” bringing up pictures of the leaders of ultra-Orthodox and hard line national-religious parties.
By JEREMY SHARONYisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv on May 30th, 2019(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
In his latest provocative election campaign spot, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman has taken another swipe at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the haredi political parties by again promising to exclude them from the next government.At the same time, Liberman also promised to exclude Meretz, Labor, the Arab parties, and the far-right parties if enough people vote for Yisrael Beytenu.A party video posted to Twitter shows a picture of Netanyahu and declares: “Voting for him? You’ll get them,” bringing up pictures of the leaders of the haredi and hard-line national-religious parties.Equally, the video warns against voting for Blue and White and its party leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, warning that a vote for them means a vote for the left-wing and Arab parties, plus the haredi parties into the bargain.Liberman has warned on several occasions that Blue and White would – like a government led by the right-wing – also capitulate to haredi demands on matters of religious life, on the basis of furtive contacts between Blue and White and the haredi parties during the period of coalition negotiations after the April election.“Vote for him [Liberman] and you’ll get a national, liberal government without the haredim,” promises Yisrael Beytenu’s video at its conclusion, concluding with Liberman’s new mantra of “Yes to a Jewish state, no to a halachic state.”This latest advertisement joins another from last week in which a Yisrael Beytenu video flashed various images of Jewish practice, such as a set Shabbat table, a religious man blowing a shofar, and the Western Wall, alongside pictures from protests by haredi extremists against enlistment to the IDF, stating “yes” to the former and “no” to the latter.Despite the ongoing attacks by Yisrael Beytenu and Liberman against the haredi parties, and in part the haredi community, the haredi politicians are so far refusing to respond to or engage with the campaign, in order to keep the focus off sensitive religion and state issues during the election season.
