Bennett Sweeps Party Primary, Calls for Party Unity

Naftali Bennett swept the vote in the primary held by his Jewish Home Party late Thursday. Mr. Bennett, who serves as Education Minister, won 80 percent of the votes cast in the primary, far ahead of the second-place contender, Yonatan Bransky, who scored 12 percent of the vote. The third-place candidate was Rabbi Yitzchak Zaga, who got 7 percent of the vote.

Jewish Home is made up of three different factions – the former National Religious Party (NRP), Tekuma and National Union. The former is seen as more moderate on its religious positions and in its right-wing views than the other two factions, and Bennett – de facto head of the NRP – has been criticized by supporters of both the other factions for compromising on both religious and national issues. Critics in Tekuma have demanded that Bennett speak out more forcefully against IDF rules that allow female combat troops to serve in the same units as male soldiers, while National Union activists have demanded that Jewish Home quit the coalition over a series of issues, including the evacuation of Amona, various building freezes in Judea and Samaria over the past several years, etc.

In a victory statement, Bennett said that he “thanked the voters for the privilege that was given to me. Today we have set a foundation stone for the leadership of the state. The vote was not for me, but for our path – to ensure the security of Israel with no compromises, to protect Jewish identity, to promote unity and to become as inclusive a party as possible. This is a home for all those who hold these values.”

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, chairman of the National Union, congratulated Bennett on his victory, saying that “now is the time for us to sit together and work out a plan to run together. Our voters demand this. This is the right thing to do and the way to increase the number of our mandates, and our influence.”