Three thousand people packed Tel Aviv’s Cinerama for the Center Party’s pyrotechnic inaugural conference. The main surprise, apart from the fact that it started on time, was that, as well as attacking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "not fit to lead the people," party leader Yitzhak Mordechai also attacked Labor’s Ehud Barak, as "incapable of understanding the Eastern mentality and Arab leaders." Mordechai presented himself as the only candidate capable of bringing together all sections of the nation.
The Likud party continues to find the leaked Tze’elim report hard to deal with. Consultant Arthur Finkelstein has reportedly advised an aggressive approach, but Shas leader Arye Deri has called on the Prime Minister to tell Minister of Justice Tzachi Hanegbi to apologize to Ehud Barak. Hanegbi attacked Barak in the Knesset on the basis of a newspaper report that he abandoned wounded men in the Tze’elim disaster. The State Comptroller’s report apparently clears Barak. Is Deri, regarded as close to Netanyahu, hedging his bets?
Barak himself, together with his One Israel partner David Levy, took the electoral temperature in Likud strongholds in the north, and apparently found it warm enough. In accordance with agreed tactics, Barak kept above the Tze’elim fray, saying an apology from Hanegbi was unimportant, and the army should be kept out of the elections.
The right wing parties Tekuma, Herut and Moledet have made significant progress towards unification. They have agreed on a joint platform, and on the first seven places on a joint candidate list. With Benny Begin number one, Rehavam Zeevi two, and ex-national Religious Party Hanan Porat three.
Former Meretz leader Shulamit Aloni is making a political comeback at the head of a non-profit society supporting the party. Author Amos Oz sat alongside her at the society’s launching press conference, and Aloni said she would prefer to see him head the party in place of Yossi Sarid, who deposed her.
Sixty-seven days to go.
Other Elections News
Published by Israel's Business Arena on March 11, 1999