MK Dan Illouz announced that he will not run for reelection with Likud in the upcoming election in a video statement released on X/Twitter on Wednesday.
“I simply cannot ask you to vote for a party that I myself can no longer bring myself to vote for,” Illouz stated. “This is no longer the Likud. This is a party that has been hijacked.”
He cited Israeli leadership’s evasion of responsibility for the October 7 massacre, legislation supporting haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft evaders, and the rising cost of living as reasons why he is leaving the party.
He decried the Tuesday passing of a bill that aimed to freeze arrests of haredi draft dodgers as “a disgrace” that made clear to him that he no longer aligned with the Likud.
“While the IDF is warning of collapsing under the burden and my fellow reservists are sacrificing their families and their experience of fatherhood, the Likud has chosen a permanent surrender to the haredi parties,” Illouz stated.
He continued to accuse the party of “doing everything to avoid responsibility” for the October 7 massacre rather than facing the Israeli public and asking for forgiveness for security faults that led up to the Hamas attack.
“Jewish identity is, first of all, taking responsibility,” he emphasized.
Regarding the state of Israel’s economy, Illouz criticized Likud for failing to take measures to prevent the cost of living from rising.
“There is no ability to do good for citizens in a party that is entirely made up of interest groups. When you go to the supermarket today, you pay a tax to the Likud, a tax to workers’ unions, and a tax to the agricultural lobby.”
Despite his decision not to run for reelection with Likud, Illouz emphasized that he will continue to work to better Israel “with integrity and determination.”
Source:
www.jpost.com
