Riding a tide of positive momentum, Moshe Kahlon – who, according to some polls, could have a significant contingent of MKs in the Knesset when next week's elections are done – is playing his hand very close to his chest.
Kahlon has so far refused to commit one way or the other to joining a government led either by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu or Zionist Camp heads Yitzchak Herzog and Tsipi Livni, and on Sunday he dispelled rumors that he was planning to join a post-election negotiation bloc with Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, or any other party.
His Kulanu party, Kahlon told supporters Sunday, is interested in only one “deal, a deal with the Israeli public. Don't believe the lies that some are pushing, as they are designed to influence your vote.
“None of the party leaders in this election are willing to answer the difficult questions,” Kahlon said. “No one has an answer as to why there is no competition between banks, no one can tell us why there is no competition in the food industry. They are stealing millions of shekels from the pockets of Israelis and no one says anything. All we hear about all day is Iran, ISIS, and Congressional speeches.”
While all of those issues are important, said Kahlon, there are even more important issues for Israelis right now.
“The next government will not be left or right, it will be a social government, emphasizing the social issues,” Kahlon insisted. “Israelis deserve a Finance Minister who will work for them, not the vested interests.”