Likud-Beytenu to play hardball with settlers if they don’t vote for the list, report says

The Times of Israel ^ | 1/11/2013 | Elie Leshem

[Former Fetus]

Support for Naftali Bennett’s ascendant right-wing Jewish Home party comes largely at the expense of the Likud-Yisrael Beytenu list and its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and nowhere is this more pronounced than among the largely Orthodox settler population. Reportedly, the trend has prompted Likud to “play rough” and convey the message that if these Israelis fail to vote for Likud-Beytenu in January 22′s election, the consequences for the entire settler movement could be grave.

The emphasis of the ruling party’s new approach is on the many settlers who enlisted as Likud members so they could participate in the party primaries and vote for hard-line members on the Likud Knesset slate, even though they have no intention of voting for the party in the elections, Maariv reported on Friday.

“In the previous elections [in 2009], trends pointed at the infuriating phenomenon of residents of Judea and Samaria enlisting as party members but then not voting for [Likud] in the elections,” sources in the party were quoted as saying. “The accusation was that they were taking over the party, even though they aren’t really supporters.”

[Former Fetus]

It sounds as if the settlers are being accused of starting their own "operation chaos". Opinions, anyone?

[jjotto]

It’s not really anything like ‘Operation Chaos’. It’s more like conservatives in the US registering Republican in hopes that Republicans officeholders will act like conservatives. When officeholders scheme to go left (like Netanyahu has), supporters naturally reserve the right to vote for those more in accord with their views.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Former Fetus.

"In the previous elections [in 2009], trends pointed at the infuriating phenomenon of residents of Judea and Samaria enlisting as party members but then not voting for [Likud] in the elections... The accusation was that they were taking over the party, even though they aren’t really supporters."