"If someone's mother is gentile, but he served three years in Golani, he doesn't need a religious procedure to become an Israeli with full rights," Sneh says.
By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMANsneh 224.88(photo credit: Gal Tziperman Lotan)
Former Labor Party minister Ephraim Sneh unveiled an ambitious and provocative platform for his new Israel Hazaka Party at an event with some 200 supporters in Tel Aviv on Sunday night.
The platform, which was written by a team of 60 experts in their fields, includes sections on security, law enforcement, socioeconomic issues, education, health care, housing, improving public service, aliya, human rights, religion and state, environment and agriculture.
The platform on matters of religion and state, which was written by former Shinui MK Erella Golan, calls for equating all the Jewish religious streams in the law and granting full rights to everyone who arrived by the Law of Return without the need to convert to Judaism.
"In my view, if someone's mother is gentile, but he served three years in the Golani Brigade, he doesn't need a religious procedure to become an Israeli with full rights," Sneh said.
Sneh made light of the lack of a platform on key issues in Kadima, Labor and Likud. "It doesn't surprise me that I have a platform and the three largest parties don't, because our party was built around ideas," he said.
The security platform includes a pledge that Israel will not allow any enemy country to have nuclear weapons.
The economic platform calls for restoring and rebuilding the Israeli welfare state and expanding the budget framework in line with economic growth.
Israel Hazaka received a license from the party registrar last week. Its on-line membership drive is set to begin on Wednesday.
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