About three weeks ago, at the beginning of October, former Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon met with a group of senior business executives, and introduced them to his economic and social worldview. The members of the group, CEOs and heads of large corporations, are among the economic elite of Israel. From time to time, they convene for an informal, closed meeting with a key figure in the Israeli public. Naturally, Kahlon, who signed on for the reform of the local cellular market and was considered a likely front-runner in the next parliamentary elections, has stirred much interest in this forum.
However, expectations that the former communications and welfare minister would present forum members with a well-formulated socioeconomic policy were met with some disappointment. Al-Monitor found out that the socioeconomic “lecture” delivered by Kahlon was rather sketchy and not fully formed, and so were the reforms he was talking about.
Be that as it may, it isn’t at all certain that Kahlon should be concerned about the pale impression he left on his business-elite interlocutors, since this group does not form a part of the electorate he seeks to woo. Rather, his potential voters come from the social bracket that finds it difficult to make ends meet — those who may well look up to him as their present-day savior.
However, there definitely is someone who is following with concern the events involving Kahlon's political surroundings, and that’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In fact, it was on account of Netanyahu that Kahlon left the ruling party, which, under certain circumstances, was liable to be the big loser following his withdrawal. Kahlon, a former Likud Party member of Sephardic (Middle Eastern) origins, and a staunch advocate of the social cause, has a fair chance of winning over Likud and Shas party voters. These two right-wing parties, both with a Sephardic-popular tone, are currently mired in a deep internal crisis. Thus, some of their supporters may find a new home in the new party the popular Kahlon plans to establish.
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