Former Finance Ministry budget division head Shaul Meridor joined the Yashar! Party list ahead of the upcoming elections, party leader Gadi Eisenkot announced on Tuesday.
Eisenkot’s Yashar! has emerged as a leading party in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections expected to take place no later than October.
Meridor will join three other announced members of Eisenkot’s party list, including former ministers and MKs Matan Kahana and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, as well as Inbar Harush Gitti, former director-general of the Aharai organization for at-risk youth.
Meridor brings decades of experience to Yashar! Party
The Yashar! Party said Meridor brings more than two decades of experience. He previously served as director-general of the Energy Ministry and later as head of the Finance Ministry’s Budget Division.
Meridor resigned from the latter role in the Finance Ministry in 2020, saying it had become impossible to carry out his duties under then-finance minister Israel Katz. He opposed the policies advanced at the time, arguing they harmed the public interest.
After leaving public service, he went on to serve as chief financial officer of the hi-tech company Lightricks.
Meridor said the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack was a key factor in his decision to join the party.
“I always knew I would return to public service. After the last few years, and especially since October 7, I realized that the time to sit on the sidelines is over,” he said.
“Israel now needs deep reform, and it is important for me to take part in that effort and contribute,” he added.
Meridor also praised Eisenkot, describing him as “a leader with moral backbone, intelligence, and a cool-headed strategic approach, who knows how to analyze problems in depth.”
Eisenkot welcomed Meridor’s addition, calling it “great news for anyone who believes Israel needs professional, responsible, and statesmanlike leadership.”
He added that the party is currently formulating an economic plan focused on working and serving citizens, with the goal of reducing inequality.
Eisenkot also said Meridor has a deep understanding of structural weaknesses in the Israeli economy, adding that he “has stood for years against attempts to harm it.”
The announcement comes amid ongoing calls from former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid for Eisenkot to join their newly formed Together Party.
Kahana, who recently left MK Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party, said on Saturday that he would remain with Eisenkot despite speculation he might join Bennett. In the past, Kahana had supported a merger between the two camps.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Lapid on Sunday, Bennett suggested that Kahana could play a role in encouraging Eisenkot to join their alliance.
Source:
www.jpost.com
