The “National Union caravan” has completed a two-day trip to various rocket-battered areas in southern Israel. The party’s motto: “Without Fear.”
The party delegation was led by new party leader Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz, with the participation at various times of MKs Uri Ariel and Aryeh Eldad and Knesset candidates Alon Davidi of Sderot and Prof. Ron Breiman.
The two-day trip began on Tuesday with stops in Be’er Sheva and the Eshkol and Sdot Negev Regional Councils, and a visit to soldiers along the Gaza border. It continued on Wednesday with visits to Sderot and Ashdod. Among those who greeted them with enthusiasm at every stop was a 30-year veteran of Sderot, who said, “Ketzaleh, we need someone like you in the government, and I think that at least 60-70% of the town believe in your path” – at which point Ketzaleh interjected, “the path of Arik [Ariel] Sharon when he was young.”
Click here to see video footage of the trip.
Ketzaleh served under Sharon during the Yom Kippur War, and was his aide and close friend for many years, until their paths parted prior to the Disengagement from Gush Katif and northern Shomron in 2005.
The National Union members met with Ashdod Mayor Yechiel Lasri, and praised the city’s populace and leadership for its proud behavior during the current crisis. Breiman added an observation about the war in Gaza and its objectives: “The use of IDF soldiers merely to hand over a part of the Land of Israel from the control of one terrorist group [Hamas] to another [Fatah] is unacceptable, dangerous and unethical, and it must be totally negated. IDF soldiers are not a silver tray for the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Israeli Flags Everywhere
The party leaders issued a call from the south to place Israeli flags on streets and roads all over the country, outside public buildings, and atop every private house. They issued the call to the Public Works Administration, Local Government Union head Adi Eldar, and homeowners around the nation.
National Union leaders are encouraged by recent polls showing that the party has climbed from little name-recognition to between two and four Knesset seats. Ketzaleh says that the momentum has begun, and believes “it will continue and bring us even higher.”
"Orange Camp Was Right"
“Our motto is ‘With No Fear,’” Ketzaleh said, “and it means that Israel and our soldiers are forging ahead without fear towards complete victory. Now that everyone knows that the ‘settlers’ and the orange camp were right, that Netzarim [in Gush Katif] really was the security belt for Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva, our campaign calls on the nation to reach the correct political and diplomatic conclusions as a result of this difficult war in which we now find ourselves.”
Court Decision Serves Hamas Psychological Warfare
Ketzaleh also commented on this week’s court decision allowing Israeli-Arab and left-wing activists to march in Tel Aviv with Palestinian Authority flags: “This decision serves the psychological warfare of Hamas. It is inconceivable that while our soldiers put their lives on the line in Gaza, a fifth column of Arabs and leftists should prance around Tel Aviv with flags of the enemy. It is time that ‘every Hebrew mother’ knows that she has entrusted her son’s life with worthy judges.”