2 right-wing ministers form new party ahead of Israel polls |
TEL AVIV, Dec 30: Two right-wing Israeli government ministers on Saturday launched a new party aimed at winning over secular voters ahead of snap elections in April. Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said they were quitting the far-right Jewish Home party to found the New Right party. Nationalist Jewish Home -- of which Bennett was the head and Shaked deputy leader -- has been part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition with eight seats in parliament. The two ministers said at a press conference that their new party aimed to establish equality between religious and non-religious voters "in a real partnership". Jewish Home, founded in 2013, has been stagnating in opinion polls after failing to attract support from secular Israelis. The New Right party has a similar platform to Jewish Home, including its opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. Bennett said at the press conference that religious Zionist voters were too attached to Netanyahu to abandon him at the election. -AFP |