Free Republic

WATCH: Livni taken by surprise as press conference * Gabbay: I took *hit from Livni * Zionist Union fared poorly in polls * Center-left playing field gets crowded ahead of April 9 * Latest election headlines Zionist Union breakup: Labor Party leader Avi Gabbay announced on Tuesday the break-up of the Zionist Union, with Tzipi Livni's Hatunah party. Zionist Union, which won 24 seats in the last election, has tanked in recent polls to as low as nine seats ahead of the April 9 election. In a press conference, Gabbay said he "still believes in partnerships and connections," but said...

The Knesset Education Committee on Tuesday approved a second and third reading of the “Cultural Loyalty Law”, which was promoted by Culture Minister Miri Regev. The bill will be brought for a vote in the Knesset plenum next Monday. It would allow government budgets to be revoked from cultural institutions that deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incite to racism, violence and terrorism. MK Ofer Shelah, chairman of the Yesh Atid faction, was furious at the Education Committee’s approval of the bill and claimed that “behind the Cultural Loyalty Law there is nothing but a personal whim...

Member of Knesset, Zouheir Bahloul (Zionist Union) who announced that he would be resigning from the Knesset in in protest of the "nationality law" that passed, has also attacked his faction's leader, Avi Gabbay. "The weakest response was from the head of my party, who prayed for this moment, and I gave it to him on a gold platter," Bahloul told Israel Army Radio. "Gabbay was at least supposed to express regret...

Opposition MK Micky Rosenthal (Zionist Union) participated on Saturday in a Shabbatarbut event in Modi'in and attacked various Likud members. "The last ten people on Likud's list have the same IQ," Rosenthal said. "These are people who are not worthy of being in the Knesset." Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) attacked Rosenthal for his statement, saying it "stinks of racism." "The ones who grade MKs are the voters," Bitan said. "The nation chose the Likud, even though it knows who Likud's leader is and who the last ten members of its list are. I think our third set of ten...

MK Yoel Hasson (Zionist Union) posted on his Twitter account an alleged resignation letter from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in which he stepped down from the premiership. The resignation was a forged letter, based on the letter with Netanyahu's resignation from heading the Communication Ministry, submitted to the Cabinet on Sunday. Hasson wrote above the picture of the letter: "Why just the communications portfolio? Here @Netanyahu, I arranged it for you. All that's left is to send it." The Prime Minister's Office reacted angrily to the fake letter of resignation. The Cabinet Secretary submitted a request to the Attorney General...

Opposition head Yitzchak Herzog opened the Zionist Union faction meeting today by addressing the comments made by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to the effect that the government needs a vacation before it ends up institutionalized. […] The Opposition leader then turned to comments quoted in the media as having been said by Minister Miri Regev and Coalition Chairman David Bitan: “What good does a broadcasting corporation do if we can’t control it?”, and “the press is too free.” “These aren’t just slips of the tongue or mistakes. This is what Netanyahu actually thinks. This is what he expects them to...

A new poll released Sunday has worrying news for the left-leaning Zionist Union, showing the party sinking to its lowest level ever. The poll, conducted by Geocartographia for Army Radio included 500 respondents. According to the survey, the Zionist Union led by Isaac Herzog falls to the lowest level shown in any polls since the joint ticket, combing the Labor and Hatnua parties, was formed in 2014. While the party won 24 seats in 2015, it would lose two-thirds of its strength if elections were held today, falling to just 8 seats. Such a result would be the poorest showing...

Is Joint List MK Hanin Zoabi on her way out of the Knesset? Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) revealed this afternoon (Monday) that a Prime Minister backed initiative is being promoted to pass legislation that will facilitate the expulsion of Zoabi from the Knesset. The Chairman explained that Likud leaders wish to enlist as broad a base of support as possible for the initiative, rather than push it through the Knesset against strong opposition. Bitan said that most of the Jewish parties have already pledged support, including opposition party Yesh Atid. He expressed hope that the support of the Zionist...

If Israel does not take steps to separate from the Palestinians, Jews will continue to be killed in terror attacks and the two-state solution will be in danger, opposition leader Isaac Herzog told US Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday. Biden met with Herzog before concluding his three-day trip to Israel in a conversation that focused on the current wave of terror and on Biden's impressions on the Palestinian issue based on his talks with leaders during his visit. The US vice president's trip saw him meet both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas separately. Biden...

Obama administration officials and leaders of the Zionist Union party lambasted Israel’s government on Sunday over a 70 million shekel spending plan for Yesha towns, including a large allocation to boost security. The coalition government passed on Sunday morning the spending plan, which includes 15 million shekels to bolster Yesha communities suffering from Arab terrorism in recent months. Also included in the spending package is 10 million shekels for renovations and improvements on public facilities, 12 million shekels for security improvements, 6 million shekels for social services, and 5.5 million shekels for tourism sites. In response, US State Department spokesman...

Opposition leader and Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog agreed to far reaching concessions on the eve of the 2015 election, a report by Channel 10 on Sunday revealed. Herzog, who prior to the election was seen as a viable candidate for Prime Minister, signed a secret letter of understanding with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, agreeing to a number of long-standing Arab demands. Among the subjects covered in the letter are the division of Jerusalem, the future disposition of Judea and Samaria, and the so-called “right of return” for Arabs who left the country in 1948. According to the agreement,...

Opposition leader and Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog agreed to far reaching concessions on the eve of the 2015 election, a report by Channel 10 on Sunday revealed. Herzog, who prior to the election was seen as a viable candidate for Prime Minister, signed a secret letter of understanding with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, agreeing to a number of long-standing Arab demands. Among the subjects covered in the letter are the division of Jerusalem, the future disposition of Judea and Samaria, and the so-called “right of return” for Arabs who left the country in 1948. According to the agreement,...

Zionist Union chief Isaac Herzog’s spokesman Ofer Newman stirred up controversy Saturday night with provocative comments posted on Facebook targeting Jews living in Judea and Samaria. The post came after the airing of the TV special “The Settlers”, inspiring Newman to publicly air his feelings on the Jewish communities over the Green Line. Launching into a typed tirade, Newman labelled Jews in Judea and Samaria as “lowly murderers” who “built swimming pools on the blood of murdered children.” The special, said Newman, “is painful and terrifying proof of this simple fact: the people who are destroying our future have won...

Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) has attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) over their support for a Palestinian state and the need for a political process with the Palestinians. "We will take down the government over anything that would lead to a division of the Land of Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state. We will fight it," he said during an interview on Meet the Press. "There will be no Palestinian state here. I will do anything to stop it," he promised. "We are in a government whose basic principles include...

Recent comments by Opposition head Yitzhak Herzog (Zionist Union) and Shelly Yachimovich (Zionist Union) suggest that their party may still join the government coalition. On Saturday, both politicians said that they would reconsider joining a unity government, should there be any diplomatic initiatives. MK Herzog presented new conditions to joining. "If Netanyahu kicks the Jewish Home out of the coalition, we will meet as a party and we will consider the issue," he told Shabbatarbut in Modi'in. "Netanyahu chose to go with the extremists," he added. "It doesn't look like he is breaking up with them. I lead a strong...

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized for condemning an incident which three Arabs raped a 20-year-old mentally disabled Jewish girl for "nationalistic" motives Thursday night, saying Friday that he "regretted" commenting on it. "As reported, the incident caused me deep pain and shock," Netanyahu posted on Facebook Friday. "With that, I had no right to relate to it until the issue was investigated, and I regret that." In a post on his Facebook page Thursday, Netanyahu wrote that the rape “is a horrifying crime that requires wall to wall condemnation, but such condemnation has for some reason not been heard –...

Opposition leader and Zionist Union chairman MK Yitzhak Herzog confirmed "the door is closed" regarding his party joining the coalition Monday, rejecting via Twitter an offer from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume talks. "Netanyahu, in response to your inquiries in recent days about resumption of negotiations on joining your government, I want to clarify publicly what I told you verbally: that door is closed," Herzog wrote. "This chapter is finished. You are a prisoner in the hands of the most extreme and we will fight you - and them," he added, referring to the addition of Yisrael Beytenu. ......

Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has accepted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s offer to join the coalition in return for the Defense and Immigration ministries, senior Yisrael Beytenu officials said on Wendesday. According to senior officials, the Prime Minister’s meeting Wednesday afternoon with Liberman has already laid the groundwork for Yisrael Beytenu’s entry into the government. Shortly after the meeting, Netanyahu reportedly called Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, informing him that Liberman had requested the Defense Ministry in exchange for his support of the Likud government. Senior officials have leaked details of the meeting, including Netanyahu’s offer to Liberman, which includes two...

Opposition leader and Zionist Union party chief Yitzhak Herzog has announced he is suspending unity government talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, after the premier issued an invitation to begin talks with Yisrael Beytenu party head Avigdor Liberman. n a markedly abrupt, pithy press conference, Herzog said Netanyahu faced a choice between "going to war and funerals, and the victory of (Avigdor) Liberman and (Naftali) Bennett, or the track of hope" - namely, inviting the Zionist Union party to join the coalition instead. "These are the choices - there are no other options," he added. "We won't continue negotiations at...

Opposition leader MK Yitzhak Herzog admitted on Wednesday that the "two-state solution" is not feasible at this time. "I look at the reality, and the reality as I read it is a complex one. I cannot see in the current reality how the two-state solution could be implemented," the Zionist Union chairman told Army Radio in an interview. "I want to aspire to it, I want to negotiate it, and I am committed to it, but I do not see the ability to do that now," added Herzog, who continued, "In the absence of the ability to do that right...