Although Meretz cultivates an image of a clean party, these days there is a storm that reminds of the days of the "box commanders" in Likud and the Labor Party.
"Israel Today" received allegations of alleged improper conduct by the party apparatus, which en masse disqualifies functionaries identified with Yair Golan supposedly in order to help Zehava Galon in the elections for the Meretz presidency.
On the other hand, the party apparatus strongly rejects the accusations, and raises counter-claims about mass and unqualified commanders - especially in the Bedouin sector.
His supporters disappear.
MK Yair Golan, photo: Yehoshua Yosef
"About half are gone"
Dr. Mazen Abu-Siam, a veterinarian from Mahrat who is running for a place on Meretz's list for the Knesset, recruited about 2,000 new members to the party. In Meretz, which has less than 19,000 members, this is a very significant force. However, Abu-Siam claims that close to half of the members he recruited were disqualified in a discriminatory manner and without justifiable reason by the party apparatus.It should be noted that in the party leadership elections, which will be held on August 23rd at the same time as the Knesset list elections, Abu-Siam supports Bayar Golan.
"The census for Meretz closed on Sunday, July 31," says Abu-Siam in a conversation with "Israel Today".
"That morning, about 2,000 functionaries identified with me appeared in the party's official data, the vast majority of them in Barhat and others in other localities in the Bedouin sector and in Lod. Miraculously, when the draft voter's book was published on August 3 - about half of the functionaries disappeared."
The primaries in Meretz (archive), photo: Yehoshua Yosef
Those who support Galeon "earn"
Abu-Siam, who petitioned the Meretz election committee through attorney Dr. Gadi Alfasi, strengthens his claims in a document showing that on the morning of the last day of the census, 1,652 officials were registered in the register, and with the publication of the draft voter's book, their number dropped to only 843.
On the other hand, in other localities where a significant census was held, not only were no members lost, but in some of them even a huge number of new members were added.
Thus, for example, "Israel Hayom" learned that in Beit Jen, where MK Ali Salalha, who supports Galon, lives, 483 Meretz members were registered in the morning, and within a few hours their number jumped to 1,148 in the draft voter's book, and to 1,170 in the voter's book However, an official in Meretz claimed that the function in Beit Jen was done using printed forms and not digitally, and the forms were submitted centrally on the day the census closed - which led to the sharp jump in the number of party members in the village.
The numbers are rising.
Galon visits the diaspora (archive), photo: Dodo Greenspan
"The disqualified - Meretz voters"
According to Abu-Siam, the day before the close of the census, on July 30, the Meretz offices were unusually opened and members of the party apparatus began making telephone calls to the officials.
"They disqualified people with different claims and for every possible reason," he says.
"They claimed that they did not enter an email address, that they are not Meretz voters, that they said they did not know that they were members of a party.
These are ridiculous claims and it is easy to prove it - even my sisters were disqualified on these grounds, so will someone tell me that they don't know they are Meretz members?
They voted for the party in all the last elections.
Most of the disqualified are Meretz voters in the last elections."
Party billboard in Ayalon.
Tel Aviv (archive), photo: Yehoshua Yosef
"baseless claims"
An investigation by "Israel Today" revealed that both in Barhat and Beit Jen the number of Meretz members is now much higher than the number of votes the party received in the last elections, which raises questions about the commanders in both localities.
However, it was only in Berhat that new members were disqualified en masse.
An official in Meretz said in response that "Abu-Siam's claims regarding the selective disqualification of members are baseless and outrageous. This is one of the most severe cases seen in the history of the party."
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