Dan Meridor's joining the Likud party is considered a feather in the cap for Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu, but many Knesset members (MKs) are hoping that his influence will be minimal.
Former Likud MK Dan Meridor has announced that he is returning to the Likud, after having left in 1998 to start a new party. Though he has received "positive press" and enjoys an admirable reputation, his stock within the Likud is not as high as might be thought. He resigned from the party in time for the elections of 1999, and started, with others, a center-left party called the Center Party. Though the new party received only six Knesset seats, its election propaganda was concentrated against the Likud and is thought to have been a significant factor in the Likud's downfall in those elections.
In fact, Likud Knesset hopeful Moshe Feiglin told IsraelNationalNews on Monday, "If there is anyone who ever betrayed the Likud, it's Meridor."
Meridor's political views are much more to the left than the mainstream of the Likud, as evidenced by a recent study he authored in which he concluded that territory per se is no longer critical for Israel's security. He has also said that he was in favor of the withdrawal from Gaza, though he said the Disengagement/expulsion should not have been a unilateral Israeli move. He further believes that though the Oslo process is "bad," the Olso Accords must be implemented because Israel committed itself to them.
Meridor, who would apparently like to return to his old post of Justice Minister, also says he opposes Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann's attempts at judicial reform. The Likud Knesset faction as a whole supported Friedmann's positions.
In answer to the unasked question as to why he does not join Kadima, whose diplomatic views he apparently shares, Meridor said Kadima failed bitterly in two areas: Judicially, because of Friedmann's positions, and in its handling of the Second Lebanon War.
Asked about Meridor's return to the Likud, several incumbents MKs were cautious in expressing their lack of enthusiasm. MK Yuli Edelstein told IsraelNationalNews, "I welcome all those who come to vie for a spot on the Likud list... It is not certain that he will actually be elected [in the Likud primaries to a high spot on the list], because of his political views, with which I don't agree. If, however, he is elected, we must all remember that the Likud's policy decisions will be made by the party organs - which will obligate everyone."
MK Moshe Kachlon took a similar approach. "I welcome everyone who joins the Likud," he told IsraelNationalNews, "but I would like to emphasize that Meridor surely knows exactly what the Likud party platform is: Opposition to giving away any land in Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, the Golan, and Judea and Samaria."
Asked if he fears that nationalist voters will shy away from voting for the Likud now that Meridor is likely to have a large say in the party, MK Kachlon said, "They need not fear. Netanyahu is speaking clearly, the Likud Knesset faction is speaking clearly - 10 out of the current 12 MKs opposed the Disengagement - and with the addition of Benny Begin, I believe our party's path is straight. Voters should know that a large party has more influence, and they should therefore not expect to have much influence if they vote for a small one."
Feiglin has been making a similar point for years. "The national-religious public cannot hope to have an influence if it continues to work in sectarian manner," he told IsraelNationalNews. "The arena is the Likud. If we fear that Netanyahu might be swayed to the left, then it is clear that we need more MKs to hold him back - and this can happen if we have more Likud members who will vote for our candidates. We have succeeded in gathering 10,000 or 15,000 members over the years, but we need more."
MK Edelstein said, "If the Likud beats Kadima by a 30-29 margin, for instance, then it is likely Netanyahu will have to form a national unity government. But if the Likud wins by a large margin, then the government will lean that much more to the right."