Ya'alon: Kadima joining gov't may alienate public

Vice premier says politicians' "zigzagging" causing public to lose trust; Kadima MK Zuaretz likens deal to "human trafficking."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
yaalon office 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
yaalon office 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon said Saturday that while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was correct to avoid early elections, the process by which Kadima joined the government coalition could potentially alienate the public and cause them to lose faith in the political system.
Speaking at a cultural event in Nes Ziona, Ya'alon said that the formation of the 94-member national unity coalition is the type of political maneuver that "surely does not encourage the public to be involved in politics, or even come to vote."
In an apparent jab at Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz for joining the coalition after having been extremely critical of Netanyahu while a member of the opposition, Ya'alon said that the public was becoming disillusioned and losing trust in politicians because of their "zigzagging" and failure to keep their word.
Ya'alon added, however, that the broad-based coalition has the opportunity to address two of the central challenges facing the nation, implementing an alternative to the Tal Law and changing the electoral system.
It would be impossible to make these changes with a narrow coalition that relies on small factions, Ya'alon said. "There is an opportunity here and it is our obligation to prove ourselves," he added.
Kadima MK Orit Zuaretz on Saturday equated the coalition deal which saw the party become a part of the ruling government with human trafficking.
"I just came back from an international conference where I represented Israel's struggle against the trafficking against women," Zuaretz wrote on her Facebook page, "and in the meanwhile, there seems to be human trafficking  going on here all the while, in front of the public eye."
"Twenty-eight MKs and 90,000 Kadima members were auctioned to Netanyahu," Zuaretz said.
Zuaretz joins a growing number of Kadima MKs who have voiced opposition to the deal since it was inked. Five MKs have said already that they want to break off from the party, though the legal requirement to split is seven MKs.