Coalition, opposition parties vow not to sit together on municipal councils

National politics is fettering down to the local level as both coalition party Otzma Yehudit and opposition party Yesh Atid told their local candidates they cannot sit on a municipal council with members of the opposite party.

Yesh Atid’s call to candidates was first reported in Hebrew media on Sunday, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir followed up on Monday with a tit-for-tat, instructing his local candidates to include a clause in their coalition agreements that they will not sit with Yesh Atid members.

The municipal elections, which are held on October 31 this year, are often overlooked yet have a much more practical impact on the daily lives of Israelis. Whereas laws such as judicial reform can have a broad impact that may or may not touch someone personally, municipalities are responsible for everything from waste management, personal security, and public infrastructure.

For this reason, national parties have been looking to stack municipal councils with their candidates in order to strengthen the impact they can have outside of the Knesset.

Judicial reform protest leaders to run in municipal elections

On Monday, Hebrew media reported that some of the leaders of the judicial reform protests will run in municipal elections in cities in the center; Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Hod Hasharon, Ra'anana, and Rehovot.

According to reports, the candidates will run under a new organization named "A New Contract."

Also on Monday, former consul general of New York Asaf Zamir wrote on Twitter that he would join Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai on his ticket for mayorship in the White City, tweeting “I wanted to update that I am returning to public life, returning to Tel Aviv, and running with Ron Huldai.” Zamir had lost to Huldai in the last election in 2018.

Requests for comment from Otzma Yehudit and Yesh Atid were not answered.