Israeli political leader Yaron Zelekha pledges lower prices; rules out coalition with Haredi and Arab parties
Zelekha said he would save the average family 30,000 shekels a year, and dismissed critics of his plan as part of a campaign by business tycoons
Yaron Zelekha, the former accountant general at the Finance Ministry and number two on the Reservists and New Economic Party joint list, said his party is polling above the electoral threshold and promised to bring down the cost of living, in an interview with i24NEWS ahead of next week's vote.
Zelekha runs on the list alongside Yoaz Hendel.
Asked why voters should risk their ballots on his party, which was unable to get into the Knesset twice and which some polls still place under the threshold, Zelekha pushed back. "Most of the polls are giving us more than the threshold between four point five mandates and six mandates," he said.
According to the party's internal polls, he said, it is already at six mandates and could reach seven.
Zelekha rejected the argument that backing a larger party would be a safer choice. "We believe that voting for other parties is not only throwing the votes into the trash, but also throwing your life into the trash," he said.
The party leader argued that the government and the opposition would do the same if elected, and said both would increase the prices of apartments, cars and banking.
Pressed on whether the economy truly outranks the threats from Iran, Gaza and Hezbollah, Zelekha said it did. "Our brave people are not afraid of Iran, of Hezbollah, of Hamas, but they are afraid of the prices in the supermarket," he said, adding that 70,000 young people have left the country because of the issue. "People deserve to live here, not only survive."
On the party's economic platform, Zelekha corrected the host's description of his housing pledge. He said he promised to cut the number of salaries needed to buy an apartment by 30 percent, from 170 to 120.
Zekekha also said he would save the average family 30,000 shekels a year, with the money coming from lower prices on banking, insurance, cars, and supermarket goods.
However, critics have called the Economic Party leader's plans unrealistic. Nevertheless, Zelekha blamed business magnates for the attacks, stating, "This is a finance campaign against me in order to get the public to despair."
Asked whether he was calling for a unity government of Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, Zelekha said it was one option, but not his proposal. "We're not going to be the prime minister, but we're going to decide who will be the prime minister."
The host pointed out that Yoav Hendel had previously sat with the Arab Ra'am party. Zelekha said Hendel joined a government supported by a Jewish majority in the Knesset, and that Ra'am was not part of that coalition but an outside supporter. "We will not be supported by Ra'am or any other Arab party," he said.