Yaakov Ahimeir, a veteran Israel Broadcasting Corporation journalist, and today presenter for the Kann Broadcasting Corporation, spoke on Thursday morning on a Reshet Bet interview about the political situation and his statement that he will not vote in a third election.
"The history of the parliamentary regime in Israel is a very sad history," said Ahimeir. "Many different and strange cases have happened because the founders of the State, the first elected officials, created a regime here that I don't know if the likes of which exist in another country.
"Once and for all, you have to learn the lesson and change the regime in the State. A party that wins the majority and the prime minister who wins the majority makes up the government without any hesitation. It can't go on like this. Excuse me, but I'm no longer updated, every hour the explanations change. So I made my decision. There will be third elections without me. I'm not going to vote," Ahimair explained.
Responding to the claim that his refusal to vote gives voice to those who think the opposite: "I'm not talking about Right and Left, just about myself, so I'm tired of all this stuff and all this nonsense. I really love our country and I hate the regime. Politicians and leaders don't worry about the general public but argue all kinds of arguments that, as I said earlier, I'm not exactly savvy and listen to them. My only demonstration is the demonstration by one individual - I'm not going to vote. Do what you want. We are told that Iran is in Syria and Iran is here and Iran is there and there's no government. Where do you hear such a thing?"
Also in attendance was veteran journalist Shalom Kittel who admitted: "I'll go vote with a pill for nausea. We haven't had anything like this before."
Ahimeir also referred to a tweet in which he wrote that if he had stinking diapers he'd throw them at the Satmar Rebbe: "I, like everyone else, hear the Satmar Rebbe's statements calling the State of Israel 'Amalek'. In haredi language, this is the most serious curse. We're all unbelievers and all the curses against the State of Israel and he generates this propaganda in New York where he sits. If it's so bad here then get out of here."
"The diapers remark is a translation of my feelings towards the current Satmar Rebbe, and besides, I learned that phrase from the haredim. Not everyone. From the Mea She'arim neighborhood that throw dirty diapers on police officers who come to restore order, so this phrase is not my invention. I copied it from some in the haredi public,” he added.