Bayit Yehudi to take campaign to the streets

Bennett to Kahlon: You don't have to divide Jerusalem to bring social reform.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Naftali Bennett (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Naftali Bennett
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Bayit Yehudi plans to come out in full force Friday, with activists campaigning from Kiryat Shmona in the North to Mitzpe Ramon in the South.
The party plans to have a presence in 360 sites, for a project it named V360°, after the V15 grassroots campaign to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bayit Yehudi activists will give out fliers and speak to passersby, and party chairman Naftali Bennett is expected to make an appearance at some sites.
Bennett announced that he would participate in the major right-wing rally on Sunday evening, even though Bayit Yehudi didn’t organize it. He has yet to decide whether he will give a speech.
Titled “United for the Land of Israel,” the demonstration was planned by Nachala, an organization run by former Kedumim mayor Daniella Weiss that focuses on building outposts, and the United Headquarters for the Land of Israel, in response to Saturday night’s left-wing demonstration, which they said called for “replac[ing] the government and establish[ ing] an Arab state in the heart of the Land of Israel.”
On Thursday, Bennett turned the focus of his criticism from Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid to Kulanu’s Moshe Kahlon.
In the past, the party avoided slinging mud at Kulanu, viewing it as part of the right-wing bloc. However, the gloves came off after Kulanu candidate Yoav Galant said on Tuesday that the party will try to make a deal with Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to form a coalition.
Though Kahlon denied what Galant said, Bennett implored the former Likud minister to come back to the right-wing fold.
“Stop moving left,” Bennett said at a campaign event in Tel Aviv. “In order to be social-minded, you don’t have to be left-wing.
To lower the cost of cheese, you don’t have to give away territory. To raise minimum wage... you don’t have to, God forbid, divide Jerusalem.”
“How do I know? Because I’ve been doing that for two years,” he added.
Bennett described himself as both right wing and social-minded, since he lowered food prices and his party passed legislation to block future terrorist releases.
“There’s no reason for people who are disappointed with the Likud to go to Kahlon, who’s on the left.
There is a social-minded right-wing party, Bayit Yehudi,” he concluded.
Kulanu’s spokesman said that Bennett is clearly under stress.
“He’s doing everything to prevent Kahlon from being Israel’s first social-minded finance minister,” he stated.
“Naftali,” the spokesman continued, “a real brother cares about people and doesn’t just act for himself.”
Kulanu’s spokesman said that it is the only party that is both nationalist and social-minded, and that Kahlon has been in the nationalist camp before Bennett knew he was.
“Kahlon’s actions speak for themselves, much more than Bennett’s false rhetoric,” he said.