Shneller is a resident of Maaleh Michmash, between Jerusalem and Jericho. He has long been associated with the left-wing of the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) public, having once publicized a withdrawal plan in conjunction with Oslo architect Ya'ir Hirschfeld. Denying reports in mid-2004 that he had been offered the post of Disengagement Authority head, he refused to say he would not accept the job if offered.
Shneller has also come out in favor of a voluntary evacuation of "isolated" communities in Judea and Samaria - a categorization that could well apply to his own hometown.
Asked to explain his decision to join Kadima, Shneller told Arutz-7, "I have set as my goal to be the connector between our time-honored values of settlement in the Land of Israel, and the existing constraints... If the nationalist camp is smart enough to realize that we should work with the government on these issues, taking into account all the constraints, then there's a chance of achieving more."
Arutz-7's Amatzia HaEitan asked if was not concerned that Kadima is merely a party of one man - a man who has proven in the past that he has no trouble overriding his party's positions. "It's not just one man," Shneller said, "but rather many people who represent all sorts of things... What happened [in the Likud] was that because the situation changed, he changed his policy; this is the power of leadership."
In a follow-up interview, Shneller denied media reports that he had been assigned slot #32 on the party's list of Knesset candidates. Asked how he feels about the fact that one man has the power to name a large part of the Knesset, and that the new MKs appointed in this fashion are not likely to have much influence, Shneller said, "True, it's a party in formation, and things run differently at first... You say that I won't have influence; let's see if you're right."
Arutz-7 has asked new Kadima members Shai Hermesh and Lior Carmel similar questions.
Asked about the constantly developing news of Sharon family corruption, Shneller said he's certain of one thing: "If and when I enter the Knesset, I will make sure that everything I do is honest and above-board."
In other Kadima Party news, criticism has been heard of Finance Minister Ehud Olmert for his campaign strategy. It is a well-known secret that Olmert is one of the few leading Kadima figures allowed by the party campaign team to speak publicly; others, such as former Labor MKs Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon, are considered too left-wing. However, now even Olmert's steps are being restricted, Israel Radio reports.
Olmert visited a soup kitchen on Monday, showing solidarity with the financial woes of those who frequent it. At a campaign strategy meeting afterwards, however, campaign manager Reuven Adler said that such visits are not advisable, and that the socio-economic issues should be left for Netanyahu and Amir Peretz of Labor to fight out.
It has also been learned that Kadima has a shortage of manpower, and that it will not be able to man all the balloting stations. Criticism was sounded at the meeting regarding the intention to pay bonuses to activists working at the polling booths that achieve the best results for Kadima.
A phone survey of 622 Israeli adults this week, commissioned by Haaretz and Channel 10, found that Kadima continues to attract wide support. The poll shows that Kadima would win 42 seats, Labor - 19, and the Likud -14.
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister and leader of Kadima, is scheduled to undergo a catheterization tomorrow (Thursday). He will turn 78 next month and currently weighs 118 kilograms (260 lbs.) He will be totally anesthetized for three hours so that doctors can plug a small hole in his heart - a birth defect - that may have contributed to the mini-stroke he suffered on Dec. 18. Sharon will be hospitalized for 24 hours, and Ehud Olmert will serve officially as Acting Prime Minister during his anesthetization.
Shneller has also come out in favor of a voluntary evacuation of "isolated" communities in Judea and Samaria - a categorization that could well apply to his own hometown.
Asked to explain his decision to join Kadima, Shneller told Arutz-7, "I have set as my goal to be the connector between our time-honored values of settlement in the Land of Israel, and the existing constraints... If the nationalist camp is smart enough to realize that we should work with the government on these issues, taking into account all the constraints, then there's a chance of achieving more."
Arutz-7's Amatzia HaEitan asked if was not concerned that Kadima is merely a party of one man - a man who has proven in the past that he has no trouble overriding his party's positions. "It's not just one man," Shneller said, "but rather many people who represent all sorts of things... What happened [in the Likud] was that because the situation changed, he changed his policy; this is the power of leadership."
In a follow-up interview, Shneller denied media reports that he had been assigned slot #32 on the party's list of Knesset candidates. Asked how he feels about the fact that one man has the power to name a large part of the Knesset, and that the new MKs appointed in this fashion are not likely to have much influence, Shneller said, "True, it's a party in formation, and things run differently at first... You say that I won't have influence; let's see if you're right."
Arutz-7 has asked new Kadima members Shai Hermesh and Lior Carmel similar questions.
Asked about the constantly developing news of Sharon family corruption, Shneller said he's certain of one thing: "If and when I enter the Knesset, I will make sure that everything I do is honest and above-board."
In other Kadima Party news, criticism has been heard of Finance Minister Ehud Olmert for his campaign strategy. It is a well-known secret that Olmert is one of the few leading Kadima figures allowed by the party campaign team to speak publicly; others, such as former Labor MKs Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon, are considered too left-wing. However, now even Olmert's steps are being restricted, Israel Radio reports.
Olmert visited a soup kitchen on Monday, showing solidarity with the financial woes of those who frequent it. At a campaign strategy meeting afterwards, however, campaign manager Reuven Adler said that such visits are not advisable, and that the socio-economic issues should be left for Netanyahu and Amir Peretz of Labor to fight out.
It has also been learned that Kadima has a shortage of manpower, and that it will not be able to man all the balloting stations. Criticism was sounded at the meeting regarding the intention to pay bonuses to activists working at the polling booths that achieve the best results for Kadima.
A phone survey of 622 Israeli adults this week, commissioned by Haaretz and Channel 10, found that Kadima continues to attract wide support. The poll shows that Kadima would win 42 seats, Labor - 19, and the Likud -14.
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister and leader of Kadima, is scheduled to undergo a catheterization tomorrow (Thursday). He will turn 78 next month and currently weighs 118 kilograms (260 lbs.) He will be totally anesthetized for three hours so that doctors can plug a small hole in his heart - a birth defect - that may have contributed to the mini-stroke he suffered on Dec. 18. Sharon will be hospitalized for 24 hours, and Ehud Olmert will serve officially as Acting Prime Minister during his anesthetization.