Deri for Finance Minister?
Prime Minister Netanyahu was so desperate to avoid elections that on Saturday night he offered Shas' Aryeh Deri the finance ministry and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman a
one-year rotation as Prime Minister, according to Maariv's Ben Caspit (link in Hebrew).
Netanyahu had good reason for avoiding elections.
While the Right continues to lead in every poll of Right v. Left, polls have also shown that Netanyahu has become extremely unpopular with roughly 65% of Israeli voters hoping to see him replaced.
On Wednesday night, Labor party leader Yitzchak Herzog and egomaniac Tzipi Livni agreed to join forces in the Labor party and to rotate (two years each) as Prime Minister if they win.
The Right's victory in terms of numbers is not a sure thing. Haredi publications have indicated that they would prefer to go into a coalition with Labor over a coalition with Jewish Home party's Naftali Bennett, with whom they say they will not set. This would make it much harder for Prime Minister Netanyahu to form a coalition even if his party is the largest party in the election (which the polls indicate it may not be).
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has spent this week trying to advance the Likud primary from its scheduled January 6 date to
December 31 in order to avoid a challenge from former Education Minister Gidon Saar. Netanyahu will still be facing Moshe Feiglin and Danny Danon, both of whom are to his right. Saar is ideologically closer to Netanyahu.
Hmmm.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Danny Danon, Gidon Saar, Knesset elections 2015, Likud party, Moshe Feiglin, Tzipi Livni, Yitzchak Herzog
Ministers blast Netanyahu over Operation Protective Edge goals
At Thursday's cabinet meeting, ministers Gideon Saar and Sylvan Shalom blasted Prime Minister Netanyahu for
not making Hamas' overthrow the goal of Operation Protective Edge.
According to a source that participated in the meeting, Interior
Minister Sa’ar told Netanyahu that, from the outset, the goal of the
operation should have been to topple Hamas’ reign in Gaza.
“I
wasn’t one of those (ministers) to go out in public, in front of the
media, and say we need to topple the Hamas regime, but today I am saying
it here that that should have been the operation’s objective,” the
source quoted Sa’ar as saying.
The source who attended the meeting
also said Sa’ar quoted extracts of the Winograd Commission report,
which investigated the failures of the Second Lebanon War, focusing on
criticism leveled by the commission on the leaders' foot-dragging and
the decisions that were made on a diplomatic level.
“I recommend you read the Winograd report,” Sa’ar told Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, according to the source.
When
asked to respond to the source’s claims, Sa’ar told Haaretz, “I am
legally obliged to avoid responding to things that were said in the
cabinet meeting even if those quotes are incorrect.”
The source
also said that Energy and Water Resources Minister Silvan Shalom
criticized the conduct of the operation, too, stating that in his
opinion toppling Hamas should have been the goal of the operation.
However, he emphasized in his closing comments that he supports the
prime minister.
Netanyahu, for his part, turned to the ministers
and said he expects them not to criticize him publically while the
country is at war. The prime minister emphasized that there is no
problem with voicing criticism, so long as it is done around the table
at cabinet meetings.
I don't hear any public criticism of Netanyahu here, except from the anonymous minister who spilled the beans of what was said in the cabinet meeting to Barak Ravid.
But the criticism is in place. Leaving Hamas to fight another day - as appears likely - was the wrong thing to do.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Gaza, Gidon Saar, Hamas, IDF, Operation Protective Edge, Sylvan Shalom, Winograd Commission
Netanyahu's Likud rebels
A group of Likud MK's has banded together to stop our
spineless Prime Minister from giving half the country away to a group of terrorists.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon on Sunday convened the heads of right-wing
groups inside the Likud central committee he heads to plan strategies for
blocking Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from advancing an interim agreement
with the PA.
The meeting was intended to counter-balance pressure to move
the diplomatic process forward that Netanyahu is expected to encounter in
Monday’s meeting with US President Barack Obama and over the next several
months.
Danon stressed that the event was not an anti- Netanyahu meeting.
He said the activists made a point of focusing their criticism on the head of
Israel’s negotiating team with the Palestinians, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni,
repeatedly citing her speech to the J Street conference in
Washington.
“We won’t sit silently while Livni cooks an unacceptable
deal,” Danon said. “We can’t let there be industrial quiet.”
The
activists decided to focus their pressure on the Likud’s top four ministers:
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Home Front
Defense Minister Gilad Erdan and Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom. The
activists, who are close to the ministers, will push them to make public
comments opposing an interim agreement with the Palestinians.
...
Some of the same central committee members were among
the signatories of a full-page ad in Hebrew papers on Sunday that praised two
ministers, four deputy ministers and four more MKs for statements they have made
against giving up land. The ministers were Erdan and Transportation Minister
Israel Katz.
Another full-page ad in the same papers called upon Sa’ar,
Erdan, Ya’alon and Shalom to stop further releases of Palestinian
terrorists.
The ad, which was taken out by families of terror victims,
called upon the public to sign an online petition that has already been endorsed
by more than 31,000 people.
Another campaign against concessions to the
Palestinians will begin soon by the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea,
Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The campaign will feature hawkish quotes by
Netanyahu from his 1995 book, A Place Under the Sun.
There needs to be lots of pressure like this on Netanyahu.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Gidon Saar, Gilad Erdan, Middle East peace process, Moshe Yaalon, Sylvan Shalom, Yisrael Katz
Anyone want to bet on how long this coalition lasts?
The new government will be sworn in on Sunday, and already the
problems have started from within the Likud.
Netanyahu is expected to face bitter opposition within his party from
those who feel slighted by the positions they are expected to receive
in the new government. Most current ministers are not expected to be
promoted to more prestigious positions, while young MKs who did well in
the party primary are unlikely to be made ministers at all.
While
Transportation Minister Israel Katz and Culture and Sport Minister Limor
Livnat will keep their jobs and Moshe Ya'alon will be defense minister,
others, like Gilad Erdan and Silvan Shalom, expressed dissatisfaction
with the portfolios they were offered.
Outgoing Education Minister
Gideon Sa'ar is the leading candidate for Interior Minister, but Erdan
is also a possibility, and MK Yariv Levin was asked to be the next
coalition chairman, but has yet to accept the position. Former coalition
chairman Ze'ev Elkin is likely to be Deputy Foreign Minister, at the
insistence of former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman, who will return
to his previous position if he is exonerated in his corruption trial.
Likud
activists have asked to call a central committee meeting, expressing
anger at the "disproportionate" amount of positions the Yisrael Beytenu
section of Likud Beytenu received – five portfolios (Foreign,
Agriculture, Tourism, Immigration and Absorption and Public Security)
and a committee chairmanship for 11 MKs.
On Friday, the last day
before Netanyahu's deadline to form a government, Yesh Atid and the
Bayit Yehudi signed coalition agreements.
There are plenty of other potential bones of contention, some of which are listed
here and
here. I give it a year at most.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Danny Danon, Gidon Saar, Gilad Erdan, Likud party, Limor Livnat, Naftali Bennett, Sylvan Shalom, Yair Lapid, Zeev Elkin
The master of understatement: Israel's connection to Ariel no weaker than England's connection to the Falklands
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
This is the first I heard of it, but current Education Minister Gidon Saar wants to be Foreign Minister in the next government. (Who says you need special qualifications for any ministry in this country?)
He started on the trail on Saturday by blasting the UK for a statement on Thursday expressing '
deep disappointment' with the upgrade of Ariel University to university status.That's fine but the way Saar went about it was a little odd. Saar said that Israel's attachment to Ariel is at least as strong as
Britain's attachment to the Falkland Islands (which are off the coast of Argentina).
Speaking at a political event in Nes Tsiona on Saturday, Sa'ar
responded that the real obstacle to peace is "incitement in the
Palestinian educational system" and not the upgrade to the Ariel
University Center.
"Ariel has always been an integral part of the
State of Israel. Our connection to Ariel is no less than England's
connection to the Falkland Islands," Sa'ar stated.
Ariel is a little closer to Jerusalem than the Falklands are to London. Maybe he could have said Manchester or Liverpool (which are also further away than Ariel)? Or does Saar have family in Argentina?
The good news is that if Saar is no longer Education Minister, maybe they will get rid of his edict that requires most elementary school children to wear uniform shirts to school. My sons would be thrilled if they became optional.
Labels: Ariel University, Britain, Falkland Islands, Gidon Saar
Sleazebag Ehud K. Olmert accuses Netanyahu of aiding Hamas
If we needed a reminder of what it would be like to have the sleazy
Ehud K. Olmert as a player in Israeli politics, we now have it. Olmert has now accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of aiding the Hamas terror organization rather than
Olmert's friends at the Fatah terror organization.
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday accused Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu of deliberately strengthening Hamas in order to
convince the Israeli public that there is no Palestinian partner for
peace. Olmert's comments came after PA President Mahmoud Abbas made a
rare verbal concession to Israel, saying he had no permanent claim on
the town from which he left as a child during the War of Independence in
1948, in an interview with Channel 2.
"The
government has taken steps to strengthen Hamas and to weaken the PA,
headed by Mahmoud Abbas, an organization which espouses non-violence and
negotiations for peace," Olmert said. "This kind of policy towards the
only possible peace partner between us and the Palestinians is
irresponsible and harms the vital interests of the State of Israel. The
interviews that Abbas gave in recent days are proof to the Israeli
public that we have somebody to talk to in order to end this bloody
conflict between our nations, which has lasted far too long."
What a load of crap. Abu Mazen's elected term in office expired nearly four years ago - he represents no one. And even if he did represent someone, he has yet to make a real concession in any negotiations with Israel, whether under Olmert or under anyone else. And where was Olmert for the last three and a half years when Abu Mazen was refusing to negotiate with Israel? Why is he only coming out now when Abu Mazen, out of fear that there may be a new, pro-Israel administration in Washington, is suddenly making noises as if he is willing to talk to someone.
Prime Minister Netanyahu did not answer the sleazy Olmert directly, but Education Minister Gidon Saar and Knesset Member Danny Danon (both of the Likud) did.
Olmert's comments drew a swift and sharp condemnation by Education
Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who called the accusation "outrageous" and
labeled Olmert an advocate of the Palestinian Authority.
Sa'ar
condemned the former prime minister for blaming the Israeli government
for the impasse in negotiations with the Palestinians, highlighting that
Olmert had "not leveled even one word of criticism at the Palestinian
Authority despite [Mahmoud Abbas'] deliberate refusal for four years to
negotiate with Israel."
Sa'ar also accused Olmert of complicating
matters for Israel by offering Abbas far-reaching concessions during his
tenure as prime minister, including agreeing to an Israeli withdrawal
to the 1967 borders and the partition of Jerusalem as part of a peace
deal, which Abbas now considers a baseline for negotiations.
Likud MK Danny Danon likewise denounced Olmert, saying the former
prime minister had no right to criticize the government given that he
was recently convicted of breach of trust and in light of his past
leadership failures.
Danon said that "if Olmert wants to protect
the security of Israel then he should remain outside the political
system so as not to cause any more damage."
Danon also described Olmert's attack on Netanyahu as a desperate attempt to generate headlines.
Expect to see the sleazy Olmert teaming up with
Slimy Shimon in a tag team match soon.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Binyamin Netanyahu, Danny Danon, Ehud K. Olmert, Gidon Saar, Hamas, negotiations without preconditions, Shimon Peres
Education Minister stops meetings between families of terror victims and terrorists
What's most amazing about this story is that the government was sponsoring it in the first place. But now, Education Minister Saar has ordered an end to government sponsorship of bonding meetings between
parents of terrorists and parents of terror victims.
The meetings, which are organized by the Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) – an organization that promotes reconciliation between bereaved Palestinians and Israelis – were halted after parents of students in Kfar Saba complained to the Education Ministry.
Several months ago, a group of parents turned to the legal adviser of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, Attorney Hila Cohen, in demand that the encounters be discontinued.
"Drawing a comparison between bereaved Israeli families and Palestinian families is inconceivable, as such discussions legitimize acts of terrorism," Cohen wrote in a letter to the Education Ministry.
According to the letter, the Palestinians who participate in these gatherings pay lip service to the victims' families, while their true goal is to garner support for terrorism.
Following the request, Minister Sa'ar instructed to prohibit terrorists' families from attending the meetings. "The education system supports messages of peace, conciliation and dialogue, and promotes pluralistic discourse, but there is no room for comparison between terror victims and terrorists," the minister explained.
Families of Palestinians who weren't engaged in terrorist activities and were killed in the conflict, will be allowed to keep attending the meetings, he added.
The organization was founded in 1995 by the family of an Israeli who was murdered by Hamas in 1994. I'm amazed that the government has been funding these meetings for all these years and that it didn't stop in 2000 or thereabouts.
Labels: Gidon Saar, Palestinian terrorists, reconciliation
Education Minister backs student trips to Judea and Samaria
The Zionist Organization of America lauds a statement by Education Minister Gideon Saar in which he asserts that a 'Palestinian state' would be a danger to Israel, and that Israeli students should be
taken on school trips to visit Judea and Samaria.
Minister Saar publicly affirmed the eternal Jewish connection to these places and throughout Judea and Samaria, while visiting Ariel, unofficial capital of Samaria, and the archaeological dig of Tel Shiloh which was the site of the Tabernacle for 369 years, and again during a meeting in the community of Shiloh itself. "Jews will always be in Shiloh," Minister Saar said emphatically. "We should not delude the Arabs that one day there will be no Jews here. Jews will always be here, and any other illusion will bring obstacles on the road to peace."
Minister Saar stressed the importance of bringing students from all parts of Israel to locations such as Shiloh and Hebron. The ZOA strongly supports his expanding program of field trips, which he hopes will enhance appreciation for the Israeli nation's history and the strong connection of the Jewish people to the land.
The ZOA praised Minister Saar for using the occasion of his solidarity visit to appropriately criticize the drive to create a Palestinian state, stating such a state would be a "dangerous move" and would "never bring peace," especially in light of the Palestinian Authority's anti-Israel activities on the world stage and at home.
In fact, according to a very recent American Jewish Committee poll most American Jews agree with Saar by a 55% - 38% margin.
What a contrast from
Comrade Yuli Tamir.
Labels: Gidon Saar
Egypt claims Israel called off Haniyeh assassination, Israeli minister denies it
Egypt's
Al-Ahram, quoting 'Palestinian' sources (and apparently only in Arabic, because I could not find it in the English editions), reports that Israel
called off a plan to assassinate Hamas 'Prime Minister' Ismail Haniyeh in the aftermath of the terror attacks outside Eilat ten days ago. Israel Radio (9:00 pm) reported that Education Minister Gidon Sa'ar (yes, every minister is involved in everything in this country - often with the exception of the things for which he is actually responsible) denied the story.
Israel planned to assassinate Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh following the terrorist attacks near Eilat, but canceled those plans at Egypt's request, Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram quoted an "informed Palestinian source" as saying Saturday.
According to the report, Egypt, with the assistance of the Palestinian Authority, also pressured the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC), groups considered largely responsible for the recent rocket attacks on Israel, not to escalate tensions and to allow the situation to return to a state of calm, despite assassinations of PRC leadership by the IDF in the Gaza Strip.
By the way, if you want to see an obsession with Israel, look at
Al-Ahram's English home page.
Labels: Egypt, Eilat, Gidon Saar, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Ismail Haniyeh
Abu Bluff's PhD dissertation widely taught in 'Palestinian Authority'
The 'Palestinians' are among the World's leaders in Holocaust denial. Now, the Center for Near East Policy Research Center has found that the 'Palestinian' curriculum includes a Holocaust denying star:
'Moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, whose PhD 'dissertation' is a bevy of
Holocaust denial. The Center for Near East Policy Research Center has urged Education Minister to insist that the thesis be
removed from the 'Palestinian' curriculum.
The Center’s Director, David Bedein, has asked Education Minister Gideon Saar and the government of Israel to demand that the PA remove the work from its school and from its curricula.
Bedein wrote that the Center is engaged in preparing a movie on the PA educational system, in the course of which it tracks that which is taught in PA classrooms. “Throughout the educational system of the PA,” he wrote to Saar, “we have found that the doctorate of Mahmoud Abbas stars, and forms the basis of PA Holocaust studies.”
Read the whole thing.
Labels: David Bedein, Gidon Saar, Holocaust denial, Mahmoud Abbas
Saar: No more lies: We're keeping Hebron
Education Minister Gidon Saar announced on Tuesday that for the first time since the Oslo accords were signed, the Government of Israel is going to encourage all Israeli students to
visit Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs, and its entirely Jewish suburb, Kiryat Arba.
Israel must make it clear that Jews will remain in the city of Hevron, Education Minister Gidon Saar (Likud) said Tuesday. “We must not mislead the Arabs into thinking that one day there will be no Jews living in Kiryat Arba and Hevron,” he said during a tour of Judea.
A Jewish presence in the Biblical city is crucial “in order to maintain our ability to visit and pray in the Tomb of the Patriarchs, one of the most important places to the Jewish people,” Saar explained.
He said he would act to bring all Israeli students to visit Hevron, particularly the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Currently, all Israeli students are to visit Jerusalem at least once during their school career.
Some of you may be surprised at the reference to Jerusalem. Sadly, it has to be said. Most of Israel's secular Leftists do not leave the Tel Aviv or Haifa metropolitan areas. They don't visit Jerusalem. The IDF brings them to Jerusalem - and particularly to the Western Wall for their swearing-in ceremonies - because many of them have never been here and have no idea for what they are fighting. Really.
I hope Saar's plans to take all the Jewish kids to Hebron materialize. But I hope the IDF changes its
no fire rules first so that it can protect all those kids.
Labels: Gidon Saar, Hebron, Kiryat Arba, Machpeila cave
Support for freeze eroding?
You will recall that when we last took a headcount of the 15-member security cabinet (please forgive me for not finding a link - it's late) on the 'settlement freeze' extension, the vote was 7 in favor, 6 against and 2 Shas abstaining. The Shas abstentions may well become votes against, as has been discussed several times over the last few days. Now, at least one of those originally in favor may also be switching to voting against. But this switch ought to light a red light for Prime Minister Netanyahu. It's Education Minister
Gidon Saar, one of Netanyahu's own loyalists in the Likud.
Is the new freeze on Jewish construction falling apart? Education Minister Gideon Saar, considered one of the main backers of the proposal, is now stipulating his support on written American guarantees that no additional freeze be demanded of Israel – as Prime Minister Netanyahu had claimed was promised by the US.
The proposal had only a slim majority of one in the Security Cabinet and now appears to have lost even that.
Heh.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Gidon Saar, settlement freeze extension
