On the eve of his entry into the Knesset, rookie MK-elect Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) says, “I am aware of the great responsibility, and am willing to take on this yoke.”
Ben-Ari was widely attacked, especially by members of the Jewish Home party, for his close ties with the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, with whom he helped found the Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea. However, he told Arutz-7's Beni Toker on Wednesday, “I have decreed silence upon myself in this matter. This was not a simple campaign, but I will refrain from responding to things that were done against us… I will join up in the future only with people who are willing to join hands with us.”
The fact that Kadima was able to receive 28 seats makes it clear that a major educational change is needed, Dr. Ben-Ari says. “The fact is that every fourth person in the country voted for Kadima, a party that did not display clean-handedness, a party with politicians with impure traits, and that has only failures to its credit. Educating the citizens will be one of our main goals.”
MK-designate Ben-Ari announced on Thursday that his press advisor and parliamentary aide will be Itamar Ben-Gvir of Hevron. His second aide will be Shai Gefen, a Chabad member. Another top advisor will be Baruch Marzel of Hevron. Ben-Ari was fielded on the list of National Union candidates as a “compromise” candidate representing the conglomerated party of Chabad and Marzel.
Does Ben-Ari think his party will join the government? “The rabbis of our party will make the decision,” he told Arutz-7. “We are committed to their guidance and counsel. We are not in anyone’s pocket, and let no one threaten us that if we don’t go with Netanyahu then Livni will come to power. Let us first see Netanyahu say that he will remove the choke-hold from the settlement enterprise and legalize the outposts, and then in exchange, I will be willing to compromise and give up on the demand to create a humanitarian corridor in Umm el-Fahm. We will not cooperate with a government that only has short-term objectives.”
Uri Bank, #5 on the National Union list who is still hoping to enter the Knesset based on the soldiers’ votes, says, “There is no doubt that Netanyahu needs us… The main thing for us is not who forms the government, but whether we succeed in extricating commitments from them that a Palestinian state will not be formed and the broadening of the settlement enterprise.”