Eisenkot Vows to Prevent Defections with New Party Ethics Code

Gadi Eisenkot, a member of the National Unity party, announced on Wednesday his intention to establish a strict ethical code within his party to prevent members from acting like former MKs Amichai Chikli and Idit Silman, who defected from their parties. Eisenkot criticized their actions as "despicable" and stated that such individuals "were not in my party."

Eisenkot's proposed code would require any party member who fundamentally disagrees with the party's political direction and wishes to leave to return their Knesset seat rather than defect and retain it. This mechanism, inspired by a report by Amit Segal, aims to differentiate between legitimate internal disagreements and a complete departure from the party's mandate.

"With us, there will be an ethical code that will obligate anyone who has a dispute with the path and wants to resign from the party, not to defect but to be required to return the mandate," Eisenkot explained. He emphasized that a member unable to align with the party's established course would be expected to resign from the Knesset entirely.

This initiative is a direct response to the political maneuvering seen with Chikli and Silman, and Eisenkot is positioning the ethical code as the primary tool to manage such potential future scenarios within his party.