Sharon Sharabi, brother of former Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi, announced Monday that he is entering politics and joining the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party, led by MK Avigdor Liberman, ahead of the upcoming elections.
One of Sharabi’s brothers, Yossi, was murdered in Hamas captivity. His other brother, Eli, survived captivity after being held hostage for 491 days, during which he endured conditions of torture and starvation. Eli’s wife and two daughters were murdered on October 7 during the Hamas massacre.
Sharabi was a leading activist in the campaign to return the hostages held in Hamas captivity after the October 7 attacks.
“Avigdor Liberman is a true right-wing leader, and the only one in the political system who was not part of the conception; he warned of the [October 7] massacre and consistently called for the elimination of Hamas,” Sharabi said upon joining the party.
The right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party is part of the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections scheduled for no later than October. It holds a hawkish security stance and advocates for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It also calls for universal conscription, pushing to draft the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) population.
Sharabi said that he was joining the party out of a sense of mission and responsibility to Israeli society.
He added that he was raised on the values of the Likud party “of the past,” but said that the current version of Likud, which is led by Netanyahu, no longer exists.
Sharabi says Yisrael Beytenu holds stances that Likud once held
Sharabi explained that Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu holds the stance that Likud once held, which he said was “national, statesmanlike, and security-oriented.”
He said that, as a member of the religious Zionist community and a resident of Alfei Menashe in the West Bank, he would work to strengthen Jewish settlement in the West Bank, along with “security, and mutual responsibility in Israeli society.”
“I believe in Liberman’s path and in our ability to act responsibly in the face of the challenges facing the State of Israel, and to lead it, together with its citizens, toward prosperity and success,” Sharabi said.
Liberman welcomed Sharabi’s addition, saying that he “brings with him civic leadership through his unifying approach.”
“He represents values of responsibility, mutual solidarity, and strengthening the resilience of Israeli society. Together, we will restore public trust in leadership and return security to Israel’s citizens,” Liberman added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party recently merged with former prime minister Naftali Bennett, congratulated Sharabi on entering politics and joining Yisrael Beytenu.
“The last time we hugged was in Hostages Square. Today I am hugging him again and saying, ‘Welcome!’” Lapid wrote in an X/Twitter post, sharing a picture of the two together at the square.
Source:
www.jpost.com
