Gilad Sharon, son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has announced his intention to run for a place on the Likud party’s list. In a column written for the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, he referred to the recent departure of Gideon Sa’ar from the Likud and the Knesset, in order to form a political party of his own, “New Hope.”
Several serving MKs have already indicated that they will join Sa’ar in the event that elections are held in the near future, as is widely presumed, including both members of the Derech Eretz party, Tzvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel. Polls conducted since Sa’ar announced the formation of his party show him garnering in the region of 20 Knesset seats and possibly becoming the second-largest faction in the Knesset.
“We have work to do in the Likud – there are certainly things we need to fix,” Sharon wrote. “These aren’t the best of times for the movement, but what needs doing needs to be done from within. True leaders are those who seek to preserve the movement’s members while attracting new recruits – even if their thought processes might not align entirely, and even if their views are not entirely to their liking.”
Sharon noted that, “There are over 1.3 million Likud voters in Israel – that’s a large and significant chunk of the population. We have a clear ideology that is based on settlement and building the Land, as well as a firm belief that our unity is our strength. We don’t rely on our neighbors – rather, we trust only in ourselves; we support free enterprise along with taking care of the less fortunate; we also support correcting the problems we see with the judiciary, while respecting the rule of law – we believe in fixing, not destroying.”
Summarizing his approach, Sharon asserted that, “We have to fix the Likud from within – and there’s no doubt that there’s plenty that needs fixing. The roof is leaking, several window panes are broken, the plaster is crumbling and the paint is peeling off the walls – but the foundations remain strong.”
In conclusion, Sharon insisted that, “If we can figure out how to keep our members within the fold, and how to address the issues we’ve identified, we’ll be able to return to being a great Likud party that will lead the nation for many more years to come.”