BICOM

Shaul Mofaz, who yesterday was voted as Kadima’s new chairman, says he will be at the helm of the next social protest, which he believes will break out again this summer and will focus on the issue of drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army.

The social protest, Mofaz told Haaretz on Wednesday, will centre primarily on the “unequal bearing of the burden”, a hint at fact that the vast majority of ultra-Orthodox men and women are not drafted to military service. “I opposed the Tal Law in its time and I will lead this protest,” he said, referring to legislation that had set the terms for ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions but was struck down by the High Court of Justice last month.

“I will represent the sane, democratic and liberal public. Most people will see me and the new Kadima as an address,” he said. “The protest hasn’t totally died down. It is still bubbling.”

According to a report in today’s Jerusalem Post, Mofaz will also soon send a message to his predecessor in the post, MK Tzipi Livni, in an attempt to persuade her to remain in the party. Mofaz’s associates said he recognised her electoral value and that he would be willing to grant her a special role in decision-making in the party, as well as a reserved second slot on Kadima’s Knesset list.  Nevertheless, sources close to Livni said it was very unlikely that she would accept Mofaz’s offer.