Likud brings Kahlon into the campaign; Rubinstein: Performances at Labor, Meretz ads break Election Law.
By LAHAV HARKOVLikud Minister Moshe Kahlon 311(photo credit: Avi Hayun)
Labor pushed for sociallyminded Likud voters to switch camps on Sunday, while Likud Beytenu put Welfare and Social Services Minister Moshe Kahlon at the fore of its televised campaign.“I’m from a family that for generations has voted for the Likud with our eyes shut,” Ezra Cohen said in a television ad Labor premiered on Sunday. “I, personally, am going to vote for the first time for the Alignment [Labor’s name from 1965- 1984] led by Shelly Yacimovich. Believe me, I am breaking a family tradition.”The clip also featured former Finance Ministry accountant-general Prof. Yaron Zelekha praising Yacimovich’s economic plan and a quote from former Prime Minister’s Office director-general Eyal Gabai saying “unless Shelly Yacimovich is prime minister, there will not be a change.”The sound-bite from Gabai does not specify if the change would be for better or for worse.Meanwhile, Likud Beytenu released commercials featuring Kahlon, who is considered the Likud’s most social-minded minister and is very popular after lowering cellphone service prices as Communications Minister. Kahlon is taking a break from politics and is not on the party’s list for next week’s election.Click for full JPost coverageKahlon expressed support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s reelection, saying that leading the country is not child’s play.“The only party with a leader who can give answers to the big problems [is Likud Beytenu],” Kahlon said. “I want to sleep peacefully at night, and for my family to do the same.”Yacimovich slammed the Likud Beytenu ad, saying that “Netanyahu does not have one socioeconomic person who can whitewash the way he has tortured the Israeli public for four years, other than Kahlon, who abandoned him because of those [economic] policies.”The Labor leader pointed out that Kahlon did not mention social or economic policies in the commercial.“Everyone in Israel knows what Kahlon thinks of Bibi and why he left,” Yacimovich stated. “It’s because of a wild, irresponsible economic policy.”Also Sunday, Central Election Committee chairman Elyakim Rubinstein ruled that performances by artists at Labor and Meretz campaign events are illegal, and asked Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to investigate the parties.Following a complaint by Likud Beytenu, Rubinstein determined that singer Efrat Gosh’s performance at a December 3 Labor conference and that of several musicians and artists at a Meretz event on December 10 broke the Election Law.Last month, Rubinstein made the same ruling about singer Sarit Hadad’s performance at a Likud campaign event and asked Weinstein to deal with the case.According to the Election Law, parties may not use performances by artists as part of their campaign.
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