MK Michael Ratzon abandons Likud to join Herut

Likud MK Michael Ratzon left his party on Saturday and joined the Herut Party. Ratzon was given the no. 1 slot on the party's Knesset list ahead of the March 28 elections. Michael Kleiner, one of the party's founders and its most visible leader, took the no. 2 slot. Following Ratzon's decision, a number of changes were made to the party's platform at his request. The call for Arab emigration was removed. One addition, however, would permit the granting of Israeli citizenship only to those applicants who swore allegiance to the state.