Businesswoman and owner of Israeli soccer champions Hapoel Beersheva Alona Barkat has joined Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked's New Right political party. Due to her high profile public figure, she will receive a high spot on the party's Knesset list for the April 9 elections.
Barkat is the wife of high-tech businessman Eli Barkat and the sister-in-law of former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who yesterday won a top ten place on the Likud list.
Barkat is best known for her achievements at Hapoel Beersheva soccer club, which she bought in 2007 when the team was languishing in Israel's second tier league and after promotion to the top league, led them to three consecutive league titles over the past three seasons.
Barkat was born into a religious family in Ashkelon and she studied at an Orthodox religious school.
As leader of the Jewish Home party, Bennett's attempts to draft in popular public figures was thwarted by the party's leadership and was one of the main reasons why he split with Shaked and set up the New Right.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 7, 2019
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