Kahlon unveils first female candidate on Knesset slate

Kulanu party Chairman Moshe Kahlon announced Monday that a former deputy mayor of Kiryat Shmona would join his party list, becoming the first female candidate in the lineup.

Dr. Yifat Sasha-Biton, 41, holds a doctorate in education and is expected to advance educational reform on behalf of the party.

“The gaps in education continue to be one of the main problems of our society,” Kahlon said in a statement on Monday. The party head and former communications minister hailed Sasha-Biton as a “symbol,” and said she would work to improve the educational standards in Israel’s lower socioeconomic communities.

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Sasha-Biton is the third candidate on the Kulanu list, behind former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren and Israel Prize laureate Eli Alaluf. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Rachel Azaria was said to be in talks with Kahlon to join the party.

According to Channel 2, the Kulanu list will have an equal number of male and female candidates.

Kahlon’s party is expected to attract large numbers of traditional Likud voters, with recent polls suggesting it could snag 10-13 seats.

Kahlon has previously stated that his new party will not be composed of politicians, but of “doers” — an apparent reference to Israeli professionals and technocrats with extensive experience outside the Knesset.