The “musical chairs” of Israeli politics continues: Uzi Landau to Yisrael Beiteinu, Eli Moyal to the Likud, and Moshe Yaalon may join the Likud as well.
Uzi Landau, among the most respected and admired Israeli politicians, announced that he is returning to the Knesset, after a one-term hiatus, as a member of the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) party. Landau and party leader Avigdor Lieberman appeared together at a Monday morning press conference to make the announcement.
Both Landau and Lieberman either resigned or were fired when they served in Ariel Sharon’s cabinet, on the backdrop of their opposition to Sharon’s Disengagement/expulsion plan.
Landau, a 22-year MK in the Likud Party, said, “The decision [to leave the Likud and join Yisrael Beiteinu] is not an easy one, but I am at peace with it.”
Landau’s departure from the Likud has been long and gradual. He first found himself leading the “Likud rebels” camp – some called them the “Likud loyalists” for remaining true to the Likud platform – in 2004 when he objected to the Disengagement. In October of that year, Sharon fired him for voting against the Disengagement in the Knesset. In the next national elections, after Sharon and many other Likud MKs broke off to form Kadima, Landau ran in the #14 slot on the Likud’s Knesset list, which received only 12 mandates. Two Likud MKs resigned in the course of that Knesset term, and in February 2007 he could have entered the Knesset once again – but he declined.
A few days ago, Landau decided officially not to run in the Likud primaries, followed today by his decision to join Lieberman’s party.
At the press conference, Landau said that even with the departure of the Kadima people, the Likud is still adrift: “Even after the Kadima group left – they have no path and no ideology, and their departure was the essential expression of opportunism – the Likud is still floating along gradually towards loss of identity, and it is not clear to me where it is headed.”
Landau praised Lieberman and the Yisrael Beiteinu party: “Israel is likely to find itself after the elections facing great political and democratic pressures, and we must quickly build a wall that will strengthen the leadership of the national camp and the State of Israel. Yisrael Beiteinu is the heart of the national camp, its wall. I don’t agree with all of its positions, but I know that at several of the critical junctures for the future of Israel and its security, I found its representatives to be closer to my positions than were my colleagues in the Likud.”
Landau will be #2, after Lieberman, who said, “This is truly an emotional moment for me personally, and for the party, to have someone of his stature join our party… He is coming as a senior partner. We did not always agree, but we always admired each other. Most of the time, including when we sat together in the government, we found ourselves voting in the same way… What we need is a clear and strong leadership.”
In other Likud news, former Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal, who did not run for another term as mayor this year, announced that he will run for a spot on the Likud’s Knesset list… Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Yaalon is reportedly close to a decision to join the Likud as well... Former MK Michael Kleiner has asked Netanyahu to grant him a special dispensation to run in the primaries, as he did not file in time. The same is true for MK Effie Eitam… Other non-MKs running in the Likud include Moshe Feiglin, Benny Begin, Yossi Fuchs, Dan Meridor, Assaf Chefetz, and Uzi Dayan... The Likud primaries will be held on December 8th.