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Inside Israel

Right-thinking Likudniks ready for return to power


By Stan Goodenough
December 20, 2006

One of the largest ballrooms in Jerusalem was filled to overflowing Tuesday night as right-thinking members of the opposition Likud Party kicked off a “revolution” in anticipation of their party’s return to power.

Opinion polls in the past few months have consistently indicated that, were general elections to be held at this time, the Likud would sweep Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his Kadima Party out of office.

Convened by the Likud’s Jewish Leadership (Manigut Yehudit) faction, under the chairmanship of Moshe Feiglin, and with the theme “Returning the Country to the People,” Tuesday’s event saw an estimated 1500 people cram into the capital’s Ramada Renaissance hotel for the lighting of the fifth Hanukkah candle.

Specially invited to kindle the lights were individuals the organizers labeled “proud Jews.”

They were the wife of imprisoned American spy Jonathan Pollard; the sister of a soldier killed in the Second Lebanon War last July and who, at his graveside, called on Israeli soldiers not to fight in a war that would strengthen the “disengagement” policies of the Olmert government; two young girls who chose to stay locked up in prison rather than comply with a justice system they do not believe accurately reflects Jewish values; the mother of a security officer killed by Arab terrorists; and the wife of a man who, along with 20 other “settlers,” has been prohibited by the state from returning to his home.

Eye-witnesses described the atmosphere as “electric,” and compared the large attendance to a relatively small number who showed up for a recent event organized by Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu.

A Christian Zionist who was also present said that, although he personally supported Netanyahu and not Feiglin to lead the party – and, ultimately, the government – he felt it was important to strengthen the right wing side of the Likud which, if strong enough, would pull “Bibi” more to the right himself.

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