Moshe Kahlon
Moshe KahlonFlash 90

Moshe Kahlon, whose new party is expected to receive 7-10 Knesset seats according to recent polling, truly meant what he said when he spoke of making land concessions for peace, says ex-MK Carmel Shama-Hacohen. Shama-Hacohen denied, in an IDF Radio interview Sunday, that he himself would be running for the Knesset in Kahlon's list, or any other list.

"We will not waste an opportunity for peace and will not hesitate to vacate territory,” Kahlon had said, describing himself as “a little to the right of center, like the Likud of the past.”

"He said it clearly, he did not use doubletalk. The public will decide,” said Shama-Hacohen. “People are allowed to change their opinion and fit it to the changing reality.”

This marks a drastic shift leftward from Kahlon's previous positions, before he left Likud. Throughout the years, he was considered very nationalist, and was a close ally of MK Moshe Feiglin, who is seen by many as Likud's most right-wing MK. Kahlon even employed MK Feiglin's right hand man, Michael Fuah, as an advisor, when he served as Welfare Minister.

In April of 2011, Kahlon responded to threats of unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood by saying that if the threat materializes, Israel should announce annexation of all of “the territories” that same day, and that PA funding should also be stopped. He added that Israel is carrying out construction for Jews outside the settlement blocs but that the pace is not quick enough.

Shama-Hacohen served as a Likud MK twice between 2009 and 2014, before becoming Israel's envoy to the OECD.