Israeli ‘family values’ party quits election, will strengthen right-wing Otzma party

The Noam party, which focused on family values, announced it’s dropping out two days before the election.

By World Israel News Staff

After a campaign lasting two months, the Noam party announced on Sunday it’s quitting its Knesset run.

Polls showed the party had no chance to pass the electoral threshold.

Noam, a religious, right-wing party associated with the Har Hamor Yeshiva in Jerusalem, emphasized conservative social values and opposed LGBT rights and what it called “the destruction of the family.”

The last-minute move comes only two days before the election. However, the party did say earlier it would drop out if polls showed it couldn’t succeed.

“The party that succeeded in recruiting some 70,000 supporters in its campaign operation saw significant success,” a party statement read.

“Through thousands of volunteers, we succeeded in revealing to the people of Israel the attempt by foreign parties to take over the state and dismantle our core values.”

The party isn’t dissolving and will begin preparing for the next election campaign, website 0404 reports.

Noam party sources say its likely its voters will now cast their ballots for Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Strength”) party. The surge of voters may prove enough to ensure the latter makes it into the Knesset.

Although recent polls show Jewish Strength passing the electoral threshold, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said over the last few days that voting for Jewish Strength is like throwing votes into the trash.

Although Likud party internal polling predicts Otzma will not make it into the Knesset, that was before Noam dropped out. The equation may be different now. Noam claims it has 70,000 supporters and another 250,000 potential supporters.

Party Chairman Rabbi Dror Aryeh expressed optimism for the future.

“A new party that nobody knew became one of the most talked about parties in the election campaign. And what is even more amazing is the fact that, although we have dared to tell the truth that everyone is afraid to say, our messages have garnered the support of hundreds of thousands,” he said, according to 0404.