Nobel laureate Shechtman says he may run for office if presidential bid fails
Dan Shechtman expresses confidence that he has enough support among MKs to make it to second round of presidential elections.
By LAHAV HARKOVDan Shechtman(photo credit: Lahav Harkov)Video by Lahav HarkovNobel laureate Dan Shechtman said Monday that should he fail to be elected Israel's president on Tuesday, he would consider running for politics in the future.However, speaking at a press conference in the Knesset, he was confident that he had the support of enough MKs to make it through Tuesday's vote to the second round of elections.Shechtman said the MKs supporting him were "responding to the calls of the public," which wishes to know, beyond "a shadow of a doubt," that the president will be unsullied by scandal or corruption.The political outsider said his standing in the academic world and international reputation would help to combat Israel's "biggest problem," the academic boycott of the Jewish state.Shechtman said MKs voting in Tuesday's election, must ask themselves the questions, "'Who will represent us well?' and 'Do we want this country to be a place were our kids will want to live?'"The Nobel prize winner said the public supports his values, such as good education that unites all Israeli citizens.Of his political future beyond the presidential election, Shechtman said, "I won't rule out running for politics. I am considering it. I would have a centrist platform." He said that he had also spoken to former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon about his political future.Shechtman said he believes Israel's most pressing problems are internal, but promoting peace and enlisting world support for Israel's actions were goals he would support as president.
