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The mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion, was welcomed on Wednesday with the support of incumbent Mayor Nir Barkat, Likud locals and the Jewish Home Party, and several Likud ministers. severe blow to his rival, Ofer Berkovich.
Six days before a clash that will pit Lion with Berkovitch for leadership in the capital, Barkat – who defeated Lion after a bitter mayoral race in 2013 – said he thought Lion was best placed to occupy this post.
"From my close knowledge of both candidates and my work with the couple, I have no doubt that Moshe Lion is the best choice for Jerusalem," Barkat said in a statement Wednesday night.
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Barkat had previously supported Jerusalem's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ze'ev Elkin, who was eliminated from the race after the first round of voting last Tuesday with less than 20 percent of the vote. Lion in the lead with 33%, followed by Berkovitch at 29%, sending the pair to a second contest next week after no candidate has obtained the required minimum of 40% of the vote.
Lion enjoys the support of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the ultra-Orthodox Shas faction, as well as part of Judaism from the United Torah, which has led to charges of political casting behind the scenes and negotiating at the national level to protect it. This charge was largely carried out by Barkat during his acrimonious run against Lion in 2013, while his campaign accused his rival at the time of being a political "combina" or backdoor deal.
Even before Barkat's decision was officially announced, Berkovitch, also a member of the city council, Wednesday criticized the mayor of Jerusalem for his alleged false tone.
Ofer Berkovitch, mayoral candidate for Jerusalem and leader of the Hitorerut movement (Awakening), is seen at the opening of the Hitorerut election campaign in Jerusalem on 2 September 2018. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
"The man who, not so long ago, convinced Jerusalem of not being able to support the backdoor transaction of [Shas Interior Minister Aryeh] Deri, [UTJ MK Moshe] Gafni and Liberman today launched Jerusalem under the bus to get to Likud, "said Berkovitch, citing Barkat's acrimonious campaign in 2013, which highlighted the long-standing badociation between Lion, Liberman and Deri. .
Berkovitch led the vanguard of the city's secular flank with his Hitorerut party and, despite years of presence, the Jerusalem City Council campaigned as an outsider untainted by the political game.
In his statement, Berkovitch also pointed out that Lion, despite the greatest number of votes obtained last Tuesday, did not win a seat on his party's council (voters choose a candidate for mayor and give a separate list) . Berkovitch's Hitorerut Party won six of the 31 seats on the council. Lion will have to obtain a special authorization from the Ministry of the Interior to govern the council, if he was to be elected mayor, since he has no representation in the city government.
Earlier Wednesday, local Likud and Jewish Home parties on Wednesday also supported Lion.
The Lion is "the most appropriate person for the mayor of Jerusalem," the Likud said in a statement, adding that the "nationalist views of the Jerusalem council member are in harmony with ours." -the minister of Likud, in a slight blues.
Chagit Moshe, a member of the Jerusalem City Council, announced that his right-wing Orthodox party would be alongside Lion.
"After long reflection and talks with the two mayoral candidates, we decided that Moshe Lion would be the most suitable candidate to be mayor of Jerusalem," Moshe said in a statement. "Moshe Lion is a candidate with management experience and the ability to govern such a large, complex and important city."
Likud ministers Tzachi Hanegbi and Yariv Levin also broadcast videos supporting Lion on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to announce which candidate he will support after the loss of Elkin. In 2013, Netanyahu sent 43 letters of support to all Likud-backed candidates for local posts nationwide, with the exception of one: Lion.
On Wednesday, Lion thanked the parties, as well as Barkat, for their support.
An accountant and former chief executive of Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet, Lion enjoys the support of most members of the city's ultra-Orthodox community.
The Hasidic faction Agudath Yisrael, who had introduced his own candidate – deputy mayor Yossi Deitch – in the first round, was also to announce who she would support on Wednesday night.
Jerusalemites next Tuesday, from 1 pm to 10 pm, will participate in a second round of voting to determine the next mayor.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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