MK Moshe Feiglin
MK Moshe FeiglinIsrael news photo: Flash 90

MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) voiced an unorthodox opinion, at least as far as nationalist circles are concerned, regarding the decision by McDonald's fast food chain franchise owner Omri Padan not to open a brach in Ariel, because of his opposition to Israel's “occupation” of Judea and Samaria.

MK Feiglin spoke on an interview panel on the Knesset Channel Monday. When the host, Hagai Segal, voiced his “dislike” for the decision by Padan, Feiglin responded by saying that he “liked” the decision.

Feiglin said he wishes that someone in the right wing would be willing to lose money over what he believes in, as Padan is willing to do in the matter of Ariel.

Segal objected and said that the decision was an unacceptable one, but Feiglin disagreed strongly: "It's his business, he is running it, and he is saying – I will fight for my principles, even if it means that I have one less branch. Kol hakavod [respect], what can I say?”

MK Feiglin is widely seen as an original thinker who refuses to toe the line of orthodoxy in all matters – a quality that earns him many admirers, and many foes as well. He holds libertarian beliefs and sums up his creed with the concepts of “liberty, meaning and identity.” He is also considered to be one Israel's most staunch nationalists and a leading advocate for Jewish rights on the Temple Mount.