TEL AVIV — Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Zehut Party, characterized his policies as “free state” versus what he claims is the “deep state” big government agenda of top Israeli politicians.
Feiglin said that his party’s recent surge in the polls demonstrates “the eagerness of Israelis, specifically the young generation of Israelis, for some substance.”
“I am giving this boring election that deals only with hatred toward each other some substance,” Feiglin stated. “Talking about the real issues and bringing new concepts of freedom and free market and so on.”
The Israeli politician was speaking in an interview that aired on this reporter’s weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio,” broadcast on New York’s AM 970 The Answer and NewsTalk 990 AM in Philadelphia.
Feiglin also called for an end to unnecessary bureaucracy and spotlighted expansive policies to lower the cost of living for Israelis while slamming his rivals as pushing a “deep state” agenda of big government.
Feiglin took specific issue with the two-state solution, meaning advocacy for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He zeroed in on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli premier’s main challengers, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz.
Stated Feiglin:
What is the difference between the deep state and two-state solution of Netanyahu and the deep state and two-state solution of [Finance Minister Moshe] Kahlon or the deep state and two-state solution of Ganz, Lapid. You name it. They are all talking about the same thing. Deep state and a two-state solution while Zehut is coming with a concept of a free state and a one-state solution. Not dividing the land. This concept of freedom and this concept of coming with the truth and looking the reality in the eyes and coming with real and new solutions is what the new generation really wants.
It reminds me a little bit of what happened with Trump. The media is running after me and trying to find a secret. What am I hiding from the left? Because the left voters are coming to Zehut. What am I hiding from the right? Because the right voters from Bayit Hayehudi and the New Right and so on are also coming to Zehut. So what am I hiding? I published a platform of 344 pages. It is all over the country. I am not hiding anything. That is my secret. That I am talking.
Feiglin calls for the complete Israeli annexation of the West Bank and the retaking of the Gaza Strip. His party’s out-of-the-box platform calls for Palestinian residents of those territories to be offered the following three options:
Assistance in immigration: The state will enable interested residents to sell their property, and will help them emigrate to the destination of their choice.
Residency: Those who wish to remain and declare their allegiance openly will receive the status of permanent residents in the Jewish state. All their human and property rights shall be preserved in the same manner as those of other Western countries (as the United States does with the inhabitants of Samoa, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and Britain with the Cypriots remaining under its control).
Citizenship: Those who wish to be loyal citizens and serve in the army (such as the Druze, for example) will be able to receive full citizenship after a long and thorough examination track.
Feiglin’s surprise surge in the polls the past two weeks sent shockwaves across the Israeli political arena amid widespread speculation that his party could be the ultimate kingmaker in the formation of the next government, determining which Israeli leader will be able to cobble together enough seats to form a majority coalition in the 120-seat Knesset.
Netanyahu finds himself facing a tight race from Gantz, a former chief of the Israel Defense Forces. The next occupant of the prime minister’s office could be decided by the size of the smaller parties on the right or left endorsing either a Netanyahu or Gantz coalition.
Feiglin’s decidedly anti-establishment Zehut party was recently projected to cross the electoral threshold and garner at least four Knesset seats. The most recent polling puts the party at six seats.
In the same interview with this reporter, Feiglin discussed his plans to address the longstanding housing crisis that has been plaguing Israelis, a scenario in which construction here is hampered by a massive amount of bureaucracy and the average cost of an apartment makes purchasing a home difficult for a large segment of the population. In some areas, bureaucratic holdups have contributed to housing shortages.
The Israeli politician posits that Israeli housing woes are fueled by a low supply of residential land due to what he described as the state’s “monopoly” over the land. Feiglin points out accurately that a full 93% of all land in Israel is registered to the Israel Land Authority. He notes that government regulation makes purchasing land and obtaining construction permits extremely difficult.
To address the issue, Feiglin’s Zehut Party pushes a radical restructuring of the land regulating industry in Israel starting with the dismantling of the Israel Land Authority itself and the transfer of vacant lands to the citizens for sale in the open market. Instead of the state disbursing land, local communities will “determine whether to restrict the designation of the land to industry, commerce, housing, agriculture,” Zehut’s extensive platform states.
The Zehut platform further calls for a massive reduction of regulations to obtain construction permits.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
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