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WallaPolitics

Olympic Medalist Oren Smadja Joins Gilad Erdan's Unity Party Ahead of Elections

Translated & summarized from Walla by baba

Center

Hebrew · 7 newsrooms covering

Olympic medalist and former Israeli national judo coach Oren Smadja joined Gilad Erdan's newly formed Unity party, which also welcomed former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch. Erdan launched the party with a focus on uniting right-wing voters dissatisfied with Likud ahead of elections.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

  • Oren Smadja, Olympic medalist, joins Gilad Erdan's Unity party.
  • Gilad Erdan unveiled the party and its slogan in Beit Shemesh on Tuesday.
  • Former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch also joined the party, accepting Erdan's invitation.
  • Yuli Edelstein was announced as second on the party list last week.
  • Erdan criticized Likud as no longer representing its voters and positioned Unity as a true right-wing home.
  • The party aims to unite right-wing voters opposed to evasion and left-wing policies.
Olympic Medalist Oren Smadja Joins Gilad Erdan's Unity Party Ahead of Elections
Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Oren Smadja, former coach of the Israeli national judo team and Olympic medalist, officially joined the Unity party led by Gilad Erdan on Wednesday. The party, which Erdan unveiled just a day earlier in Beit Shemesh, carries the slogan "True Right. True Commitment." Erdan emphasized that the party's name, Unity, reflects a collective responsibility despite differing views, stating, "Unity is a call to all, a shared responsibility, our path and commitment." He pledged to fight for unity without compromise.

Alongside Smadja's announcement, former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch declared her entry into the party. Bloch, who had considered multiple offers from the "third bloc," accepted Erdan and Yuli Edelstein's invitation to join the party list, becoming the first to do so. Last week, Erdan announced the party's formation and Edelstein's placement as second on the list.

Erdan criticized the Likud party, saying he could no longer consider it his home because its representatives no longer reflect the voters he cares about. He positioned the Unity party as a home for right-wing voters opposed to evasion and left-wing policies, including those currently in opposition. The party aims to consolidate right-wing voters seeking a genuine alternative ahead of upcoming elections.

WallaCentre · Tel Aviv

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