Report: White House seeks to replace Netanyahu with Lapid
The diplomatic source said the Obama administration identified Lapid as a moderate who could be helpful in pushing the Israeli government into accepting the framework to create a future Palestinian state.If this report is correct, the Obama administration is not only sniveling and conniving. They're also fools. Aaron Klein lists some reasons why Lapid will never do it.
According to the source, the talks included the possibility of Lapid bolting Netanyahu’s government if the prime minister rejects the U.S.-brokered regional talks.
Lapid, however, is unlikely to abandon his government post over talks the Palestinians themselves have been less than enthusiastic about.Lapid would be a fool to do it, because he would lose all of the current parties in the coalition with the exception of his own and the Tzipi Livni party. That's a grand total of 25 seats. Labor and Meretz would go in with him, but that would still leave him well below 60. The Arabs might go in with him, but I doubt that the Jewish public would tolerate a 'peace-making' coalition that depended on the votes of the Arab parties. And the Haredi parties? From what I heard during my rounds on Purim, at this point there is enough bad blood between the Haredim and the National Religious that they would go into a coalition that would give up territory in a New York minute. But not a coalition led by Yair Lapid.
Such a move could be politically dangerous for Lapid, with polls showing a significant segment of the Israeli public has grown weary of the bid to create a Palestinian state amid regional turmoil, including the Syrian civil war, recent changes of leadership in Egypt and fears over Iran’s nuclear program.
Further, Lapid is a relative newcomer to Israeli politics. He will want more time to use his finance minister post to launch initiatives that could bolster a future run for prime minister.
If Lapid and his 19 Knesset seats did abandon Netanyahu’s government, the move could put the prime minister’s coalition in crisis, especially if other parties were to follow suit. Netanyahu must maintain a plurality of the Knesset’s 120 Knesset seats in his governing coalition or he would have to face early elections.
But most of all, Lapid is consistently at or near the bottom in every survey of the popularity of Israel's ministers. Whatever popularity he might have had a year and two months ago when there were elections has evaporated under the reality of governing. There is no way he could form a coalition.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:07 PM
5 Comments:
I'm glad to see your mention of Aaron Klein. Whatever the work-out of attributions, etc., he has good info on his radio show for example.
In his Sunday (yesterday) show, he mentioned the need for an alternate plan re KhmerRouge Kerry/ Clinton/ Obama's suicidal plans and pressure... He didn't say what he thinks it should be, but what I've been calling for for ages is:
Keyword: Counties!
It would be an excellent bend in the road right now!
Hi Carl,
If the Obama administration would really be after this (which I doubt) it would be the most witless thing to do because it would backlash severely - and President Obama knows it.
This sort of report is issued when things are bad and this peace deal is as dead as my dead dog.
What we need is to see Bibi doing the right thing and that is: a proper case for Israel (to get Samaria and Judea recognised as Israeli land once and for all). Then kick the Arabs to their Palestinian state in Gaza.
Cheers
Actually, if Lapid were to leave, the Chareidim would join Bayit Yehudi in a narrow 61 seat majority in a New York minute. Obama is a pig. Just find a way to roast him and send him oinking to Abbas. Plus where I live just north of Yerushalayim, the Chareidi community of Tel Tsion is in the majority here. Plus, Netanyahu has No one in his own Likud party that is to the left of him with the exception of Tzachi HaNegbi. Let the pig whine all that he wants.
If there is any evidence that Obama plans for Lapid to replace Netanyahu, it's not presented in the article. According to the 'source', Obama is, at most, trying to bring down Netanyahu's government, with the hope that a new government will be more friendly to the framework. Obama may (or may not) believe Lapid will be the next PM, but if he does, he's much mistaken.
What really disgusts me about the article is the part near the end, about the Temple Mount. Apparently Kerry thinks "justice" can be served by having the Temple Mount administered by every religious group that cares about it - except the Jews.
Although to be dan l'kaf zchus, maybe he thinks this would be an improvement, from our perspective, over the Olmert proposal to have the site administered solely by Muslims. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that this new proposal is ten times more offensive, even if it seems more practical. And frankly, it's not more practical. For one thing, once Christians get used to having a political foothold in Eretz Yisrael, we'll find ourselves having to "make peace" with twice as many religions as before.
Stupid idea.
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