Shaked planning post-decision rally in Givat Shmuel
Peretz: bloc must be led by religious candidate
By GIL HOFFMANAyelet Shaked (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Former justice minister Ayelet Shaked will announce her next political venture “at the beginning of next week” and then hold a rally for her supporters in Givat Shmuel, Shaked told confidants in a closed-door meeting in Jerusalem.Shaked continues to seek the top slot on a list of right-wing parties that will include the New Right of Naftali Bennett, Rafi Peretz’s Bayit Yehudi, Bezalel Smotrich’s National Union and perhaps Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut and Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit.A Walla poll published on Thursday found that among right-wingers, 36% want Shaked to lead such a list, 21% prefer Bennett, 7% Smotrich and 6% Peretz, who is demanding the top slot.Peretz told Channel 12 on Thursday that only a religious candidate can lead a religious-Zionist list.KAN reported that former IDF Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch, who is also secular, is in talks with Bennett about running as part of the New Right after forming a party called Magen ahead of the April election.Meanwhile on the Left, efforts continued on Thursday to form a bloc. Labor leader Amir Peretz held a meeting with Hatnua head Tzipi Livni on Thursday morning.Asked about her political future, Livni told The Jerusalem Post after the meeting that there was still “nothing to write home about.”Peretz said the atmosphere of the meeting was friendly and warm and that they “discussed recent political developments ahead of the election and challenges Israel is facing.”The Labor leader and former prime minister Ehud Barak have also been in touch with former minister Rabbi Michael Melchior about his Meimad party joining a political bond. Melchior said his suitors were aware that Meimad has tens of thousands of supporters, experience, accomplishments, values and “a viewpoint that is unique in Israeli politics.”Barak said Thursday that he would be willing to be seventeenth on a list in order to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
