(IsraelNN.com) "We are a law abiding state and not only Jews have to respect the law, Arabs do too,” the Ichud Leumi (National Union)'s leader Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz told Arabs Thursday in Wadi Ara, a valley densely populated by Arabs in northern Israel. “The lawlessness in the Arab sector will end exactly five days from now, when we are elected into office,” he vowed. “When we run the country, the situation will change. You've grown used to Barak and Livni's weakness, but the party is over.”"The October [2000] riots will not be repeated,” Ketzaleh added, as a small crowd of Arabs from the city of Umm El-Fahm began to gather around the Knesset members and their supporters at the entrance to the city.
A small contingent of policemen, some of them from the special Yassam unit, pushed away some of the Arabs, but some of the locals got very close to the Ichud Leumi candidates and cursed them with various epithets. Knesset Member Uri Ariel was crowded by four or five Arabs but did not lose his cool and kept a determined grin on his face throughout. At the police's request, the Ichud Leumi convoy moved onward and stopped at Megiddo Junction, where they gave interviews to reporters from Jewish and Arabic media outlets.
Ketzaleh and MK Uri Ariel said that Arabs in Wadi Ara have built over 3,000 units illegally in recent years along Highway 65. They said it was time for Israel to begin demolishing illegally built Arab houses.
“In the State of Israel, there will no longer be a situation in which a Jew drives along the Wadi Ara road and the locals will shout 'Itbach al-Yahud' ['slaughter the Jews' – ed.] at him,” Ketzaleh said. “This happened in Europe during the Holocaust but it will not happen in the State of Israel. The Arabs have 21 states in which they can build their houses and shout 'itbach' all day long,” he said. "The Arabs are cowards and when they see the Jews behaving proudly they calm down very fast."
Humanitarian corridor to Venezuela
Number four on the Ichud Leumi list, Rabbi Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, told the Arabs listening to him that Israel would be willing to open a “humanitarian corridor” to Venezuela for Arabs wishing to leave. “It seems the Venezuelans and the Arabs get along well,” he said, in a reference to recent statements and actions by Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. When an Arab interrupted him and protested that the Arabs want good neighborly relations with the Jews, Ben Ari reminded him of the Arabs who chanted "Ya Saddam, ya chabib, udrub udrub Tel Aviv" [Saddam the beloved, hit Tel Aviv"] when Scud missiles were falling in the 1991 Gulf War.
MK Ariel promised that Israel would settle tens of thousands of Jews in Katzir and Harish in the coming years, and Ketzaleh noted the strategic importance of Wadi Ara, which serves for transportation of IDF tanks and other heavy equipment between central Israel and the north.
The Ichud Leumi faction announced that it intends to imitate Peace Now and establish a body that will research, document, complain and publicize illegal building. Unlike Peace Now, which is interested solely with Jewish building, the new body will deal with Arab building. Illegal construction in the Arab sector creates an atmosphere of lawlessness, the faction's spokesman said, which encourages the creation of terror cells.
If Katz can nail down at least six seats in the elections, the arabs will be in for a rude awakening when they see the coalition government that follows. Today, Labor announced they will not sit in a government with Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu), which means Bibi will need to reach to the right if he hopes to build a government.
MZ
How long will it be before our Lord Obama turns his back on Isreal?
ReplyDeleteThe last few polls have shown Ichud Leumi with a solid six seats, I am hoping for 7, and davening for 8.
ReplyDelete2 factors that I believe are being overlooked are the Marzel voters who usually bring a seat and a half, and the Anglos.
While the Ichud Leumi did not run a amazing Hebrew or Russian campaign, primarily for budgetary reasons, The english language campaign was the most organized and wide spread of any of the parties. With at least one english event every day, and often 2.
Yisrael Beitanu by comparison was having one english event every 3 days on average.
Hopefully the anglo vote is being undercounted and this will bring in another mandate, possibly 2.
Patrician, I suspect he'll be another in a long line of presidents who want Israel to just be a good little puppy dog and do whatever Uncle Sam says.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update, KL. I am praying, too, that Ichud Leumi can exceed the polls and nail down 8 or 9 seats. Anything over 6 and I'll be happy, though.
ReplyDeleteI think the "New" NRP is a farce, and I honestly hope they don't hit the threshold. I've had it with Orlev standing there with with his hands out, giving religious Zionism a bad name as he concedes land for cash.
MZ, there was a debate on the TNL show between Ketzaleh, Prof. Hershkowitz, and Moshe Feiglin. TNL 27 I was very pleasantly surprised by the Prof. he seems really sincere and some of his points, such on the social problems facing Israel really struck home. Though of course I am voting Ichud Leumi.
ReplyDeletepobama will drop israel like a bad habit and the u.s. will continue it's downward spiral into thirdworldhood. my prediction.
ReplyDeleteVery bad news, Bibi began an intense campaign Thursday about how a big Likud is needed to keep Kadima out of power and many people who should know better are falling for it. Even from my Yishuv I talked to multiple people this shabbat who said they had been planning to vote Ichud Leumi but were switching to Likud to keep a Kadima Lieberman government from forming. Extremely dissapointing.
ReplyDeleteKL, how can anyone in the yishuv vote Bibi or Likud after what happened in Gaza? That's simply insane.
ReplyDeleteKL, Bibi is right. A strong right-wing Likud is the most important thing right now. If the Ichud sits in opposition, it will have little purpose. Kadima cannot be allowed to form a gov't. The Likud list from 20 down is pretty right-wing.
ReplyDeleteFeiglin argued well in the debate that during the Disengagement, the real threat to Sharon was from the Likud 'mordim', rebels. Only a right-wing Likud can stop any more withdrawals.
They realize Bibi is no picnic but are terrified of keeping Kadima in power.
ReplyDeleteI tried to reason that we need to stop thinking only for the moment and have to begin working for the long term to create a viable nationalist party that can lead opposition and eventually the country.
But in Israel the mentality is extremely short term. Let us daven they wake up in time.
KL, keep davening...we're gonna need it. How can they be so blind? Likud shat upon Feiglin yet again, but like a battered wife the nationalist voters just keep coming back to Likud for more abuse.
ReplyDeleteUri! Uri! Awaken to reality my friends!
BK, Feiglin will not even get into the government! He's been banished to the impossible 36th position! Do not advocate throwing the vote away on a Likud led by Bibi that outright hates the Yishuv and is willing to expel Jews and give away the Land to appease moslems.
ReplyDeleteA strong NU can leverage Bibi, force him to give in to the right if he wants to hold his coalition government. A weak NU means no checks or balances, just a free ride for Bibi to form a government free of any nationalist presence.
I think Feiglin is doing a terrible avera to the Jews by advocating we put a traitor like Bibi in power without a strong nationalist oppositon party. When he and Likud sells out the Yishuv yet again, and Feiglin is powerless from outside, and the NU only has 4 seats of opposition, the Yishuvniks will only have themselves to blame.