Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., April 26, 2008 Nisan 21, 5768 | | Israel Time: 22:24 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Arcadi Gaydamak. (Archives) Last update - 16:14 20/02/2007 Billionaire and Netanyahu-ally Gaydamak to start his own party By Lily Galili, Haaretz Correspondent Russian-Israeli billionaire businessman Arcadi Gaydamak has decided to establish his own political party that would deal only with social-economic issues, and is likely to make the announcement on Wednesday, Haaretz has learned. Based on polls that Gaydamak commissioned over the last few weeks, including one conducted by the Geocartography polling company, he has decided that - with a proper focus on the party goals and close ties to Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu - the party could win about 25 seats. Gaydamak has coordinated plans for the party with Netanyahu, whom the businessman has previously supported as his preferred candidate for prime minister. In turn, Netanyahu appeared at a mass Hanukkah party that Gaydamak organized this year. Advertisement The Netanyahu-Gaydamak alliance has noticeably intensified recently, through a series of interviews that both gave to the Russian-language media, in which each has praised the other. Polls show Netanyahu's popularity to be rising by 17 percent among Russian speakers in the wake of the interviews. Gaydamak has decided that the party will not have a political-security platform. He supports the market economy, increased taxation for high earners and a significantly stronger welfare state. Gaydamak's party is likely to eventually become part of the Likud. The billionaire himself is apparently planning to serve as party chairman and control the party from the outside rather than serving in elected office, replicating the model of Shas - whose spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, is not an elected official. Gaydamak plans to put an emphasis on the needs of Russian speakers but not to appeal solely to those voters. He wants to translate his popularity in other sectors of the population - among Israeli Arabs, Bedouin, Druze and the ultra-Orthodox - into political power. Members of these communities are expected to be on the ticket, although Gaydamak has yet to name anyone as a candidate. Indeed, the party Gaydamak plans to launch is set to help Netanyahu no less than Gaydamak. The billionaire has previously said that he is not personally interested in an active political life, but he wants to be the man who determines who becomes prime minister. The party could also put pressure on Minister Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, who is popular among his fellow Russian-speaking immigrants - but not as popular as Gaydamak, according to a recent Mutagim poll. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Peer pressure Facing widespread pressure, Nadine Gordimer may pull out of Israel writers meet. My struggle German Jewish leader backs the publication of an annotated version of Hitler's Mein Kampf.   1.   hopefully he will get them to accept patrilineals 04:03  |  jessy 20/02/07   2.   The Russians wil bring fresh blood into politics... 04:56  |  Tom 20/02/07   3.   Gaydamak 05:41  |  Edifice 20/02/07   4.   Could be interesting... 06:11  |  Mea 20/02/07   5.   Warrent issued for Arcadi Gaydak 07:00  |  SJ 20/02/07   6.   GAYDAMAK 07:15  |  MAHIR ZARA 20/02/07   7.   GAYDAMAK 07:17  |  MEIR BEN TAMAR 20/02/07   8.   GAYDAMAK 07:21  |  JOHN GOLDEN 20/02/07   9.   Charge relates to selling arms to Angola - a French issue 07:28  |  redmike 20/02/07   10.   GAYDAMAK 07:31  |  MICHAEL THOMAS 20/02/07   11.   ANOTHER Leftist Party ! 07:45  |  Klaudia 20/02/07   12.   Gaydamak 08:52  |  ill 20/02/07   13.   mis quotes 09:17  |  Gershon 20/02/07   14.   Klaudia, you are exagerating! 09:23  |  S 20/02/07   15.   Just curious 09:40  |  Esther 20/02/07   16.   With Gaydamak and Bibi - we don`t need Ahmedinejad 09:43  |  Albert Edelson 20/02/07   17.   REDMIKE: 500 THOUSAND WERE KILLED 09:54  |  Karam 20/02/07   18.   Knesset for Sale 10:16  |  Dov 20/02/07   19.   #19- S ... Did You Even Read the Article ? 10:20  |  Klaudia 20/02/07   20.   Gaydamak again 10:26  |  Esther 20/02/07   21.   A social "Leftie" supporting Likud....?? 10:29  |  Swiss (Dino) 20/02/07   22.   Posters 6,7 & 8 = same person? 10:30  |  David 20/02/07   23.   Karam #17 10:55  |  Itsik 20/02/07   24.   No to gaydmk 10:58  |  Charles 20/02/07   25.   #21 11:09  |  swiss twit 20/02/07   26.   Klaudia, you didn`t read my last sentence; 11:38  |  S 20/02/07   27.   The final nail in the `coffin` 11:58  |  paul 20/02/07   28.   Gaydamak is pro-jewish and pro-israel 12:21  |  Dror 20/02/07   29.   # 28 Dror 12:40  |  Swiss (Dino) 20/02/07   30.   Corrupt laf lafs - Dror #28 12:56  |  David 20/02/07   31.   Israel needs `One Family Party`. 13:17  |  Akram Zekaria 20/02/07   32.   netnyahu - gaydamak 13:44  |  ARI 20/02/07   33.   When the rich stands for punishing taxation 13:57  |  Scientist 20/02/07   34.   Gaydamak: Israel for sale? 14:15  |  Zuriel 20/02/07   35.   To Klaudia who does not know history and twists facts 14:34  |  Mark B. 20/02/07   36.   @14, S 14:42  |  vladimir 20/02/07   37.   @24, charles 14:51  |  vladimir 20/02/07   38.   It is a move directed at drawing votes away from Lieberman and... 14:52  |  Chanan 20/02/07   39.   # 35- Mark B . 14:52  |  Klaudia 20/02/07   40.   We all see how well they ran Russia... 15:19  |  RF 20/02/07   41.   The ground is ready.. 15:32  |  Ben-Aceraff 20/02/07   42.   G-d help Israel 15:39  |  שילוה 20/02/07   43.   # 39 Klaudia Waitin` for a Superman...?? 15:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 20/02/07   44.   Vladimir #36, 37 15:51  |  S 20/02/07   45.   Read about Arcadi Gaydamak 15:56  |  Clickfool 20/02/07   46.   Klaudia, aimez vous Ayn Rand? 16:03  |  S 20/02/07   47.   I always trust multi-zillion-billionaires 16:07  |  Paul Freedman 20/02/07   48.   neo liberal 16:12  |  izzy d 20/02/07   49.   Check the man`s eyes 16:13  |  Clickfool 20/02/07   50.   Headline really piles it on! 16:30  |  Aryeh 20/02/07   51.   To Dino... Superman ? Nah... Superwoman ! 16:59  |  Klaudia 20/02/07   52.   Gaydamak 05:31  |  Jean 01/03/07   53.   WISH TO BE MEMBER 21:47  |  MAZEL DANDEKAR 26/04/08

Read & React Israeli envoy to UN calls Carter 'a bigot' for meeting Meshal Responses: 272 Israel: Syria may rethink retaliation in light of nuclear revelations Responses: 223 Israel snubs Hamas truce bid as ruse to recover from fighting Responses: 200 Two Israeli guards killed in West Bank shooting; third flees Responses: 110 Yossi Sarid: If it runs like apartheid and acts like apartheid... Responses: 224 Rosner's Domain Syria insists on a return to the pre-1967 lines (WTR) Poll: Will the new spy case harm U.S.-Israel ties? Notes on the new Israeli-espionage affair The real numbers of the Jewish vote in Pennsylvania More Headlines 21:57 IDF soldiers catch two infiltrators from Gaza 21:40 Turkish PM confirms mediation efforts for Syria-Israel peace 21:42 Meshal: Hamas awaits Israeli response to Egyptian truce proposal 09:59 Palestinians: 14-year-old girl killed in Gaza clashes 21:04 Syrian envoy to U.S.: Photos of alleged nuke site fabricated by CIA 21:19 Muslim Brotherhood denies aiding Hamas in developing drones 21:59 Commander of legendary Jewish immigrant ship Exodus dies at 90 13:46 Druze hold protest against construction projects in North 22:08 Former Sephardi chief rabbi Eliyahu suffers heart attack 19:07 Bedouin woman loses hand while handling dud bomb in Negev 14:53 Teenager stabbed to death outside Rishon Letzion nightclub 07:30 Abbas: I failed in U.S., no progress in peace talks 09:18 Facing widespread pressure, Nadine Gordimer may pull out of Israel writers meet 10:33 IAEA slams Israel for bombing alleged nuclear reactor in Syria Previous Editions Select Day 25 apr 24 apr 23 apr 22 apr 21 apr 20 apr 18 apr 17 apr 16 apr 15 apr 14 apr 13 apr

Special Offers Advertisement Learn Hebrew online with Israel's best teachers Sign up for a trial lesson today Pardes Institute Summer Sessions Study Jewish texts and issues in Jerusalem, Co-ed, All Levels Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.