On a tour of communities in southern Israel, MK Yoni Chetboun, number two on Eli Yishai's Yachad-Ha'am Itanu list, said that he was “puzzled” by voters who claim to be on the right, but have declared that they will vote for Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu list.
Voting for Kahlon, he said, is “a very irresponsible action that will harm the national camp and establish a left-wing government. Do we want a right-wing government, or one that will G-d forbid implement another Oslo agreement?”
Kahlon may have grown up in the Likud, but he is no rightist, insisted Chetboun. “He has no problem declaring at the same time that he is the heir of the legacy of Menachem Begin, the legendary leader of the Likud, but is willing to join a government led by Yitzhak Herzog and Tzipi Livni. I don't understand his declaring this, and I don't understand the right-wing voters who are planning to support him on Election Day. I see this as a terrible mistake,” he said.
Instead of Kahlon, Chetboun said, these voters must choose one of the right-wing parties – not necessarily Yachad. “They must come back to the national camp,” he said. “A vote for Kahlon could lead to a major historic error that will lend credence to major concessions.”
Over the past several months, Kahlon has said that he does not rule out Israeli surrender of territory. At a recent rally, Kahlon said that he was a “true Likudnik, who knows when to make peace and give up land. We will not miss an opportunity for peace.”