Israel

Ayelet Shaked takes leadership of New Right party over from Naftali Bennett

Their party narrowly failed to win any seats at the last election in April

July 22, 2019 11:55
Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett held a press conference in Efrat to announce the New Right Party's leadership changes
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ELECTION
COUNTDOWN

Ayelet Shaked, the former Israeli justice minister, has assumed the leadership of the New Right Party after striking a deal with her political partner Naftali Bennett.

Ms Shaked will top the right-wing nationalist party’s list of candidates in the September 17 election.

New Right fell narrowly short of the number of votes it needed to enter the Knesset at the last election in April, when Mr Bennett was top of the ticket.

“As you all know, I took full responsibility for the April election’s outcome, which I’m also doing now. Because for unity, one must make some personal concessions,” he said, according to Haaretz.

“The country is more important than one person’s advancement, and the country now needs a unified right,” he added.

Ms Shaked said it was time for the Israeli right-wing beyond Likud to unite.

“A union is the ideological right wing’s insurance certificate,” she said, according to the newspaper.

“Together, under my leadership, we’ll become a significant and powerful force that will lead the State of Israel with courage and faith.”

Talks over a potential alliance between New Right and the United Right List, the latter of which includes Ms Shaked and Mr Bennett’s former party Jewish Home, have so far not generated results.

Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the two New Right leaders from their ministerial positions last month, replacing them with Jewish Home MKs.

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