Likud party's "grassroots" base began running an
ad in the ‘Likudnik’ website, an unofficial site run by party activist Arik
Ziv, Tuesday that used Holocaust imagery including barbed wire and a yellow
Jewish star to convince voters that Naftali Bennett's party was like a ghetto
for religious voters.
The caption on the ads is "The Jewish Ghetto, headed by
Naftali Bennett," and the logo features a yellow star like the one Nazis
forced Jews to wear on their clothes.
The text says: "60 years! It took the knit kippot 60
years to break out of the sectoral ghetto that the Mafdal (National Religious
Party) had put them in. 60 years until we finally succeeded in assimilating
into the general Jewish public and freeing ourselves from the isolated ghetto
that past leaders had locked us into.”
"Now," the text continues, "Naftali Bennett wants
to bring us back to the old NRP. Sorry Naftali, we prefer to be part of the
Israeli public and not separate. Knitted kippahs will have an influence from
the inside. Sorry, Naftali, but we would rather be a part of the Israeli public
and not separate ourselves from it. Knitted kippot change things from
within."
"My Likud brothers what's going on with you?"
Bennett asked rhetorically in a short Facebook response. "I am
speechless."
Likud Beitenu denounced the advertisement Tuesday and called
upon Bennett "to file a complaint for incitement with the police, so that
the identity of the people behind the advertisement can be ascertained."
"Likud has no connection to the Likudnik website and
everything that is published there is their sole responsibility," the
party said.
Later in the afternoon, Likud supporter Moshe Ifargan, and a candidate on
the Likud list, spoke to Arutz Sheva on Tuesday and admitted he was behind the
campaign, and has no regrets.
"I do not apologize for using the word 'ghetto,'"
he said. "It is a term that speaks of isolationism and of the price of
nationalism."
Ifargan recalled statements made by Likud candidate Moshe
Feiglin, who is a religious Zionist. "Feiglin is right in saying that the
religious-Zionist community thinks only about short-term gain, and ultimately
loses everything," he said.
In an immediate response, Ifergan, number 96 on the party's
Knesset list in the coming elections, was expelled from the Likud. The
Likud-Beiteinu campaign headquarters expressed its "Disgust at the
shocking campaign," adding that "the Likud has decided to expel Moshe
Ifergan because of the ad campaign in which Bennett is seen behind a wire fence
and a hurtful use is made of the Holocaust's symbols."
"I am indeed on the Likud list. But they dismissed me
because they don't want to be associated with the campaign and that's
understandable. It makes sense. I did it of my own accord and the party has
nothing to do with it," Ifergan told Ynet.