Hindering. Feiglin
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Unyielding. Ratzon
Photo: Yaron Brener
Imperative. Elkin
Feiglin: Unity government – bullet to democracy's head
Likud hardliner slams Prime Minister-designate Netanyahu's attempts to form wide coalition with Kadima, says if Livni were able to form leftist coalition she would not urge Likud to join it
Likud hardliner Moshe Feiglin on Sunday slammed party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu's calls to Kadima and the Labor Party to join him in a unity government, deeming the move as hindering to democracy.
Friday saw President Shimon Peres task Netanyahu with forming Israel's next government and the prime minister-designate expressed his wish to form a wide coalition, one which would include his political adversaries.
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"This is a grave matter. I find that the entire concept of a unity government equals a bullet to democracy's head."
Feiglin added that any such move would constitute circumventing democracy: "We have never seen a unity government in the United States and the only time the United Kingdom had one was during World War II. A unity government is like a business cartel, and in the business world, you go to jail for that.
"For some reason, cartels are allowed in the world of ideologies and they call them 'unity.' The big parties join forces and render the market forces null and void. The fact the people are willing to sterilize democracy is very grave."
The right-wing hardliner further claimed that since Netanyahu could form a 65-mandate rightist government, he must not try to have the centrist Kadima and leftist Labor join the coalition.
"I keep asking myself, what would have happened if (Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi) Livni would have been able to generate a 65-mandate majority. Would she be courting Netanyahu?
"The Right has a problem: On one hand – it has an absolute majority, but on the other hand, its ruling party doesn’t want to be synonymous with the Right. These elections have seen the Right win and the Likud lose.
"This way," added Feiglin, "even if Netanyahu is able to have Livni join his government, it would be a short-lived one and it would mean dispensing with the rightist parties, which currently give him the basis to negotiate with Kadima. This entire thing is very flimsy."
'Differences smaller than you think'
Former Likud Knesset Member Michael Ratzon agrees: "We must first and foremost form a right-wing government to adhere to the voters' decision," he told Ynet. "After we do that we can reach out to Kadima. I think they will join the government in any event."Netanyahu, he added, must not yield to Kadima's political demands, nor must he voice his support for the two-state solution: "This 'fatal attraction' game with Kadima is nothing but an attempt to appease the Left. The public has had enough of the Left.
"We have to be true to our path and he has missed the point by going against his (natural) Right list. The media won't like him no matter what he does," added Ratzon.
Former Kadima MK Ze'ev Elkin, who left the party after claiming it was not right-winged enough, said that having Kadima in the coalition was imperative: "I hope Kadima accepts the offer and I think the Likud should make a true effort to create a partnership.
"The important thing," he concluded, "is to know who the prime minister is and what direction his government intends on taking. There are a lot of challenges which are undisputed – Iran, Gaza, Hamas, the financial crisis, the need to reform the educational system – and the differences are smaller than one would imagine. I hope we can reach a compromise."
