Feiglin defends Likudniks who didn't vote for party

Incoming Likud MK says looking into how particular communities voted violates the democratic right to vote by secret ballot.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Moshe Feiglin 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Moshe Feiglin 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Incoming Likud MK Moshe Feiglin defended party members on Thursday who voted for a different Knesset list in Tuesday’s election.
The Jerusalem Post reported exclusively on Wednesday that a dozen West Bank settlements have more Likud members than people who voted for the Likud Beytenu joint list in Tuesday’s election, and some had three or four times as many Likud members than votes.
The list included Shiloh, Yitzhar, Beit El, Ofra, Eilon Moreh, Revava, Itamar, Kedumim, Mitzpe Yeriho, Otniel, Eli and the Jewish community of Hebron.
Feiglin, who campaigned for the Likud in Judea and Samaria and throughout the country, said it was wrong to focus on voters in one particular region, in which most Likud members did in fact vote for their party. He said looking into how particular communities voted violated the democratic right to vote by secret ballot.
“In America, if you ask people who are Democrats if it’s a problem that they vote for a Republican, they would say you don’t understand how democracy works,” Feiglin said.
Click for full JPost coverage
Click for full JPost coverage
“I wanted people to vote Likud and I did my best to persuade people to vote Likud, but if people made a conscientious decision to put their country ahead of their party, I have no problem with it.”
Yehuda Glick, who headed the party’s campaign in Judea and Samaria, said that there were twice as many Likud voters than members in 90 percent of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Likud officials expressed outrage at settlers who voted for a hawkish Knesset slate in the party primary and then for another party in the election, but Likud members who voted for Bayit Yehudi or Strong Israel defended their decision.
“The Likud should blame itself for offering a lousy product and not those who exercised their democratic right to vote according to their conscience,” said Ze’ev Orenstein, a Likud central committee member from Ma’aleh Adumim.
Orenstein said he voted for another party because Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu came out in support of a two-state solution, merged Likud with Yisrael Beytenu, attacked Bayit Yehudi and ran candidates indicted and convicted of corruption.
The dilemma of what party to vote for hit home for Gary and Chava Horowitz, Likud members who live in Kohav Hashahar, a community of 171 Likud members, of which only 74 voted Likud.
Chava voted for Likud, but Gary chose a party further to the Right.
“I want to see Likud pushed more to the Right so I voted for more right-wing candidates in the primary and in the general election. I also wanted to send a message,” Gary said. “That doesn’t make me a saboteur.
I am right wing and I believe in what Likud stands for. But I had to vote where my conscience lies, and I can vote for whatever party I want.”
Chava said she voted for Likud for ethical reasons.
“I still believe in Likud and Bibi [Netanyahu], and I felt I owed it to Likud to vote for the party after voting for a very right Likud list.”