By: David Morris
Falling Photographer Saved by MK Danon (photo credit: Yaakov Lederman) |
As if there was not enough drama in the re-called contentious Beit Shemesh municipal elections
During a campaign rally last night for the Zionist Camp mayoral candidate Eli Cohen, photographer Michael Krispal took a step too far backwards, and fell off the stage.
Israel's Deputy Defence Minister, MK Danny Danon instantly responded by grabbing the photographer's flaying leg, returning him to the stage and so saving Krispal from a very hard landing.
Celebrating the recent court decision to re-run the elections in Beit Shemesh, under the title "We Believed, We Struggled, We Succeeded!", the rally was attended by hundreds of people, including MK's and other dignitaries.
Aside from Danon, Minister of Economy & Trade and leader of the Jewish Home faction Naftalli Bennett and Minister of Housing Uri Ariel also spoke in support of Eli Cohen at the gathering.
This followed a major gathering of the Shas Party in Beit Shemesh, on Saturday night, supporting incumbent mayor Moshe Abutbul. Big guns who attended that event included Shas leader MK Aryeh Deri.
During the past municipal elections in October, Shas lost their incumbent mayor in Elad, and they also lost the strategic mayor's race in Jerusalem, where Shas backed the unsuccessful challenger Moshe Lion - leaving just Beit Shemesh as a remaining Shas stronghold.
With the court decision to re-run the Beit Shemesh elections on 11th March, due to "widespread organized election fraud", Shas is under pressure to retain the city.
So, with Beit Shemesh the only city (along with Nazareth) to be holding recalled elections, national politicians are making themselves available to weigh in on the local campaigns.
To "save the city" and to save the occasional falling cameraman!