Likud and Yashar! Clash Over Candidate Eliran Elia and Directors Guild Statement
A political clash erupted between Likud and Yashar! over Eliran Elia, candidate #33, following a Directors Guild statement supporting controversial films.
A political clash erupted on Sunday evening between the "Likud" party and the "Yashar!" party over Eliran Elia, a filmmaker and educator placed 33rd on the electoral list of "Yashar!" led by Gadi Eisenkot.
The controversy began after the Directors Guild issued a statement supporting the creators of the film "NZA" and Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shor. The "Likud" party immediately launched an attack, claiming that Elia, who previously served as chairman of the guild, had also defended the makers of the controversial film "No Other Land.Likud" labeled both films as defamatory toward "IDF" soldiers and criticized Gadi Eisenkot for including Elia in his political roster.
Response from Yashar!
The "Yashar!" party strongly rejected the accusations, stating that Elia had resigned from his position at the guild approximately two weeks prior and had no involvement in the recent statement.
"A new year, old lies. This is how the ruling party opens the new year — in its familiar fashion," the party stated. "The ruling party does not shy away from lies even at the end of the holiday. We will soon replace you."
Electoral Context and Background
While Elia is still listed as the chairman on the official website of the Directors Guild since November 2024, his campaign insists the resignation took place weeks ago. Elia was introduced last week as part of the "Yashar!" list for the upcoming Knesset elections, where he is expected to focus on education and culture policy.
