The election campaign activities of Naftali Spitzer, the husband of Hatnuah Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, could get the Zionist Camp into legal hot water. Spitzer has been very active in meetings and in defining the direction of the campaign, allegedly as a representative of his wife, who is the number two candidate on the joint Labor-Hatnuah Knesset list, but his contribution happens to coincide with his profession: advertising and branding consultation. According to the law, during an election period a party cannot employ a volunteer in the same field as his profession, which is considered equal to a paid donation beyond the permissible campaign funds legislated for each party. Israel Hayom learned that Spitzer, who visited the Zionist Camp's campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv almost daily in its initial stages, has recently minimized his presence there, apparently in an effort to be more cautious. Spitzer, however, still visits the headquarters on occasion, meets with campaign managers and even participates in budget meetings. For example, in one discussion Spitzer sought to reduce the budget for the campaign managers and additional appointments, and use the extra funds instead for purchasing advertising space for the campaign. It was also learned that within the framework of the deal between Labor and Hatnuah, aside from the agreement to rotate the premiership and reserve spots on the joint Knesset list, Livni would have the power to veto any campaign expenditure exceeding the sum of 250,000 shekels ($64,000). Additionally it was learned that the Zionist Camp's election headquarters would also fund a personal campaign headquarters for Livni, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of shekels for the duration of the three-month campaign period, which she would be free to manage without intervention from the party. After learning the details of the deal, Labor party officials who were unaware of the aforementioned particulars were outraged. Meanwhile, the clash between campaign manager Shimon Batat and campaign chairman Labor MK Eitan Cabel was still ongoing. According to the Zionist Camp, "There is nothing wrong or invalid about Livni's or her partner's conduct." The statement went on to attack Israel Hayom.
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Zionist Camp in hot water as Livni's husband advises campaign
Hatnuah Chairwoman Tzipi Livni's husband, Naftali Spitzer, is helping shape the Zionist Camp's campaign, but his contribution may coincide with his profession -- advertising and branding consultation -- which the law considers an illegal donation.