Members of Amcha Israel issued a statement on Wednesday following the resignation of former candidate Davidi Ben Zion from the party’s electoral list on Tuesday, as well as the party’s drop in the polls.
NEW POLL ahead of Israeli elections: Coalition at 60 seats, opposition at 47 seat
“We are with you, Israel and we do not surrender. We will run to the end with all our strength, only for the people,” party leader Ofer Winter said.
The party’s number three, Netali Shem Tov, said “Even in politics, there are boundaries that are not crossed. Children should not be persecuted, Israeli heroes should not be turned into enemies of the people, and their family members should not be persecuted. The people of Israel despise this, put an end to it, are disgusted by it; they do not want it.”
Ben Zion announced his resignation from the number 8 slot on Tuesday after what he described as a campaign of “pressure and harassment” against his family and children by “elements opposed to new, clean politics in Israel.”
He announced his resignation by posting an image of a billboard featuring his face and calling on him to resign, with the message, “The community is full [of them], my wife is devastated.”
Ben Zion serves on the Samaria Regional Council, which administers parts of the northern West Bank and has faced serious pressure from those on the right and far right of Israeli politics, with many demanding that he retire for going against Likud and the coalition.
Ben Zion also cited advice from former minister Ayelet Shaked, who convinced him that Amcha Israel would fail to pass the electoral threshold.