Its official. Bibi said
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“I intend to form as broad a government as possible, to create stability and successfully lead the State of Israel against the great challenges it still faces”
As I wrote earlier look for Kadima and Yesh Atid and possibly Labour joining the government.
We may be heading for a national unity government.
Bibi has just finished the job that Sharon started, that is, to neuter the remaining remnants of the Zionist Right.
Unprincipled trash. Dishonorable, underhanded, conniving, untrustworthy flotsam.
My friends, if that is the best we can do for leaders, lets pack it.
I am not looking for saintly characters up there, I am looking for “mentchen”.
By accepting the gruesome combinas, underhanded deals seen as “political”, we must understand that the same value system applies in their case for all of the other state transactions that flotsam is involved with or in.
Being treacherous liars is not precisely the character trait we should elect to represent us as that reflects on all of us.
@ NormanF:
Well, Norman, it’s happened now. Kadima has re-joined Likud, as it were, and we’re back to the Sharon days. That sets the clock back seven years, sans George W Bush.
I just looked up “Jewish Home Party”, because, I confess, I can’t keep up with all these name changes. It seems that the National Religious Party, which couldn’t even agree with itself in Sharon’s day, merged with the National Union (formed in the first place from one of the NRP splits and some other tiny party). Most of the NU members then broke away from the new union, resulting, essentially, in the same two parties as in Sharon’s day. Now the same two groups, which couldn’t stay together since the LAST merger, are announcing yet again that they plan to merge.
What a comic farse! Is THIS the “Nationalist Camp” in Israel? How pathetic! Who is the real “Right Wing” in Israel? The judges are conveneing… the suspense mounts… It is… is…
SHIMON PERES!
The next government will be a center-right one and every one to the right of Shelly Yacimovich and the Arabs will jump on board.
This includes Mofaz and Lapid who are not eager to spend the next three years warming the opposition benches. It leaves a very tiny opposition to Netanyahu which will give him the freedom to do whatever he wants in a third term.
Need I say “I told you so”? Here is what I’ve been saying for years:
1. There is no such thing as a “right wing majority” in Israel. The Israeli electorate breaks down as follows:
a. the Center, which is enormous. It consists of Likud, Kadima, Atid, Beiteinu,Independence and possibly Labor
b. the Religious, including Shas, the Haredim and possibly the “Religious Zionists”
c. the New Left, which consists of the Arab parties, Meretz and possibly Labor
d. the Nationalists, consisting of NU and possibly the “Religious Zionists”
2. The polls indicate that Bibi will have unprecedented freedom to ally with the Center, now that big-headed Livni is out of the way. He has a much more pliable lineup of potential partners: Lapid has let out the word that he plans to be part of the next government, come what may. Beiteinu is already a close Likud partner; the exit of Shas from the coalition will give it even more play for its secular nationalism. “Independence” may cease to be as a party, but its candidates, mainly Ehud Barak, will probably find Knesset seats as part of Likud; and Mofaz, who belatedly joined Kadima only after his defeat in Likud by Netanyahu, is the ultimate practical opportunist; his party really stands for nothing, as does he personally, so he can join anyone.
It looks as though the religious are running out of ways to get into power; they seem to be reduced to
a. irritable bad manners, and
b. having lots of babies.
They might eventually take over Israel; but with those tactics, it will take a while.