Haaretz claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu is still trying to avoid elections - at least until Monday.
According to recent reports, Likud activists have been sounding out Yesh
Atid Knesset members about defecting from the party and remaining in
the coalition, while the ultra-Orthodox parties might yet join the
coalition without going to elections.
All of the politicians
involved strongly deny that they have any intention of reconstituting
the coalition, but stranger things have happened in Israeli politics.
The dissolution bill is due to have its second and third readings on Monday. Until then, anything can happen.
According to polls in Friday's newspapers, if elections were held today, the Likud would remain the country's leading political party, while Kadima - currently the largest party in the Knesset but in opposition - would be eviscerated.
A poll in Ma'ariv showed Likud keeping its current 27 seats in the Knesset, while Yediot Aharonot had the prime minister's party drop to 25, after its previous poll, in May, gave the Likud 30 seats.
Kadima would drop to seven seats, one-fourth of its current size, if elections were held today, according to both polls.
Labor leader Shelly Yechimovich emerged as Netanyahu's most formidable challenger in both polls, though Yediot proves her to be a bigger threat to the prime minister, with 21 Knesset seats, than Ma'ariv, which gave Labor 17. The party currently has seven MKs, but was voted in with 13 in 2009.
The polls showed varying results for other parties. Both had Yisrael Beiteinu remaining the third-largest party, followed by Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid and Shas. However, Yediot gave them 13, 13 and 10 seats, respectively, while Ma'ariv had Yisrael Beiteinu grow to 16 seats from its current 15, Lapid with 11 seats, and Shas gaining two seats to reach 11.
National-Religious parties Habayit Hayehudi and National Union, which currently have a combined seven seats and plan to run together in the next election, would grow to 10 seats, according to Yediot, but Ma'ariv showed drastically different results, with the parties shrinking to six spots in the Knesset.
That was quick. Kadima has decided to leave the government over their inability to get the Likud to commit to a law that would throw all the Haredim in jail for draft evasion.
Kadima was left with no choice but to leave the coalition after a failure to bridge the gaps between party its position and that of the Likud, Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz told faction members in a closed-door meeting Tuesday, party sources said.
Mofaz was unwilling to compromise on the issue, and therefore was left with no choice but to pull his party from the coalition, according to the source.
All but three Kadima MKs voted to leave the government. The three MKs were Avi Dichter, Otniel Schneller and Yulia Shamalov Berkovich.
Netanyahu held meetings with Kadima MKs on Tuesday in hopes of convincing them to remain in the coalition. Mofaz called a meeting of the faction at its Petah Tikva headquarters for 5 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss whether the party should leave the government.
Leading into the meeting, Mofaz on Tuesday afternoon rejected, what Netanyahu had characterized as a compromise offer, to resolve the Tal Law crisis.
According to Mofaz, the offer was that fifty percent of haredim between the ages of 18-23 would be drafted by the IDF and another 50% would be drafted into national service between the ages of 23-26.
Mofaz said that the proposal violates the ruling of the High Court on the issue, the principle of equal sharing of the burden of military service, is not proportional and does not meet the ultimate test of effectively resolving the issue.
Mofaz also noted that the proposal also did not include all draftable persons, and therefore, in reality, would merely maintain the unmanageable status quo.
A coalition crisis is brewing between the Likud and Kadima over efforts to force Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men to be exposed to the draft at age 18. On Wednesday, negotiations between the two parties fell apart, and now Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz is threatening to withdraw from the government.
Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz convened his Kadima faction on Wednesday amid a break down in efforts to draft a universal service bill, saying "we are in the midst of a crisis, but we also have an opportunity. Without a meaningful solution we cannot remain in the government." Mofaz stated that he would leave the coalition by Friday if progress was not made on the issue.
Mofaz called the emergency meeting after Kadima MK Yohanan Plesner walked out of a meeting with Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon aimed at finding a replacement for the Tal Law. Plesner said negotiations on a universal service bill were "at a dead end."
Mofaz said that he was meeting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening to discuss the issue.
After Plesner and Ya’alon discussed and agreed on enlistment quotas and personal sanctions for those who do not join the IDF or do national service, the Likud minister presented a different stance in a Wednesday-afternoon meeting, according to Kadima.
A Kadima source, while unable to specify the changes Ya’alon requested, said they would turn the bill into “a copy of the Tal Law,” which allowed haredim to indefinitely postpone service, and make it “empty of content.”
Ya'alon rejected Kadima's claims that there was a "blow up" in the meeting with Plesner.
Speaking in an interview with Army Radio Ya'alon downplayed the issue, saying, "Kadima should come back. My door is open. I still want to pass a bill. If we don't succeed in legislating it by the end of the [Knesset] term, there might not be a bill. It looks more political than practical," Ya'alon said.
The Likud minister said that if a replacement for the Tal Law was not legislated by July 31 when the Tal Law expires, the authority to enlist haredim will go to the Defense Ministry.
"We will bring more people sharing the burden in the Arab and haredi sectors with or without Kadima," Ya'alon stated. "There is a principled argument on whether we want more haredim or to declare war on the haredim. They are insisting on throwing haredim in jail. Throw people in jail for learning Torah? If we do that, all the progress that has been made with the programs that there already are will go backwards," he added.
If they insist on throwing the Haredim in jail and the rabbis say to go to jail, there will not be enough cells to hold all the Haredim. That's reality.
"I would like to see the haredim join the IDF at 18 years old," Ya'alon said. "But if we try this, we will start a civil war."
...
The main dispute between Likud and Kadima was over whether there should be quotas limiting the number of yeshiva students permitted to avoid the draft, as Kadima demands, or merely setting targets for the number of haredim drafted, which the Likud prefers. The parties also disagree on the final age at which service could be avoided and the extent of sanctions against draft evaders.
Ya'alon said that his proposal was more realistic than that being put forth by MK Yohanan Plesner, the Kadima MK who has taken up the mantle of increasing the IDF draft rate for haredim. "The haredim will not vote for my proposal, but they will not star a civil war over it," Ya'alon said, "Plesner's proposal will erase all the inroads we've made in integrating haredim, including the Nahal Haredi program."
Ya'alon added that the Likud has accepted the fundamentals of Plesner's recommendations, but that negotiations are being held up by Plesner's own personal stubbornness.
Nahal Haredi, by the way, is the largest single unit in the IDF today.
Kadima sources said that this was the biggest crisis since the Plesner Committee was dissolved a week ago and blamed the prime minister for going back on agreed-upon points regarding the draft age, exemption quotas, and personal and community sanctions for draft-dodgers. According to Kadima, all the most important points of the law had been rejected.
On Tuesday evening, after meeting with Plesner, Ya'alon updated Netanyahu on the negotiations' progress, and it appeared that things were on the right track to coalesce a bill to be brought to the Knesset next week.
Whether this is a negotiating tactic or a true breakdown, Kadima is claiming that Netanyahu is not interested in presenting a decision to the cabinet next week and therefore torpedoed the talks.
Last Sunday, the Likud faction approves five basic principles from the Plesner Committee, including personal responsibility for haredi draft-dodgers; universal draft; and sanctions against institutions that encourage draft-dodging. After approving these points, the Likud said that the only part of the Plesner Committee's recommendations it did not accept was the idea of drafting Israeli Arabs.
Kadima is trying to do three things: Save its own very bleak political future, pass a very populist law, and destroy the connection between the political right and the religious right (which don't necessarily go together in this country). Withdrawing from the government accomplishes none of those goals, although it might turn many Kadima MK's (if there are any left) into martyrs after a future election.
The Likud, on the other hand, wants to change as little as possible in order to preserve potential future partnerships with the Haredim, it wants to do just enough to avoid the embarrassment of having to deal with the Supreme Court again, and it has absolutely no fear of elections, with survey after survey showing that it would emerge as by far the largest party.
Look for a minimalist deal to be reached and look for Kadima to stay in the coalition. But if Kadima does withdraw from the coalition, you can bet that the Haredim, at least, will give the Likud peace and quiet until the next election in November 2013.
Yisrael Beiteinu? Unlikely to withdraw since they will also lose seats to Yair Lapid in any future election. Notice how they have toned down their rhetoric since Netanyahu sent Yaalon to take the lead in the negotiations.
Poll: Adding Olmert to mix does not change Right-Left balance
Did I ever tell you that this country loves polls? This one was taken by Maagar after the Olmert verdict was announced.
3. Respondents were asked three times how they would vote if elections were held for the Knesset today: #1 Without mentioning Olmert or Livni. #2. With Olmert joining the Lapid party. #3. With Livni joining the Lapid party
If elections held today (expressed in Knesset seats)
Current Knesset seats in [brackets]. [#1][#2][#3] 10 07 06 [28] Kadima 29 29 29 [27] Likud 17 17 16 [13] Labor 02 02 02[--] Ehud Barak Independence Party 10 -- -- [--] Party lead by Yair Lapid -- 13 -- [--] Party lead by Ehud Olmert and Yair Lapid -- -- 15 [--] Party lead by Livni and Yair Lapid 02 02 02 [--] Party lead by Arieh Deri 09 09 09 [11] Shas 15 15 15 [15] Yisrael Beiteinu 03 03 03 [03] Jewish Home/NRP) 06 06 06 [05] Yahadut Hatorah 04 04 04 [03] Meretz 03 03 03 [04] National Union 10 10 10 [11] Arab parties
This makes you wonder why Prime Minister Netanyahu is kissing up to Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz. But then, I was wondering that already (and think I know the answer).
Likud 30 Labor 16 Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) 15 Yisrael Beiteinu 12 Shas 7 National Union 7 Meretz 6 Kadima 5 United Torah Judaism 5 Jewish Home 4 Chadash 4
Arabs 10
A few points: Look for Likud to try to absorb Kadima so as to further dilute Moshe Feiglin's strength in the party. That becomes more and more likely as Kadima continues to founder in the polls.
Ehud Barak's Atzmaut party is wiped out. Look for Netanyahu to try to coop Barak into Likud and guarantee him a high position on the Knesset slate.
By traditional right-left breakdowns, the Right has 65 seats here (Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, National Union, United Torah Judaism and Jewish Home). But it is far more likely that Netanyahu will take Yesh Atid and Kadima into the coalition and that he will leave out National Union. If what's currently talked about as 'draft reform' goes through, Shas and United Torah Judaism are unlikely to go into any coalition headed by Netanyahu. Ever.
After going through most of the other rationales for our new unity government and rejecting them, Caroline Glick argues that Prime Minister Netanyahu went to the unity government to preserve Israel's economy.
Finally, there is an economic aspect to this decision. By bringing Kadima into his coalition, Netanyahu effectively ensured that his free market economic policies will be maintained and the socialist voices in Israeli politics will be marginalized for the next year or so. With France going socialist, Israel's Left, led by Labor Party leader and Marxist Shelly Yahimovich would have had more resonance in the public for its statist, deficit spending economic platform. Now Netanyahu got another year during which the public will see what those policies are doing to Europe and so make his economic arguments for him.
Twelve hours after Caroline published that piece, Moody's downgraded Israel's banks' outlook. Wednesday morning's news was already full of talk of higher income taxes and VAT, but I am holding out hope that Netanyahu will instead cut spending. If taking Kadima into the government makes that happen, that's a positive development.
By the way, the markets have barely moved since Tuesday morning's announcement.
Under the agreement, Kadima will join Netanyahu's government and commit to supporting its policies through the end of its term in late 2013. Mofaz is expected to be appointed deputy prime minister, as well as minister without portfolio. Mofaz will also serve as a member of the security cabinet, and Kadima members will serve as chairmen of the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committees, the economics committee, and any others that are agreed upon by both sides. Chairwoman of the Israel Labor Party, Shelly Yacimovich, will become opposition leader instead of Mofaz. The process is also likely to affect Yair Lapid's new party, Yesh Atid – it will have to wait another year and a half for elections to the 19th Knesset.
Finally, the fact that this political move took most Israeli pundits by “surprise” demonstrates the degree to which Netanyahu’s strategic and political skills are underestimated and misrepresented. Ideological and personal factors have blinded analysts and foreign political leaders, including heads of state, to the caution and deliberation with which Netanyahu has governed in the past three years. There are also important lessons to be learned from this dimension.
In a brief statement issued Tuesday morning, Mr. Netanyahu, who moved closer to the center as a result of the accord, said: “A broad national unity government is good for the security, for the economy, for the people of Israel.”
Netanyahu did not move "closer to the center" as a result of this agreement. The agreement demonstrates that Netanyahu is closer to the center of Israeli politics than the New York Times usually acknowledges.
In a statement issued after the deal was struck, Netanyahu said, “Unity restores stability. A broad national unity government is good for security, good for the economy and good for the people of Israel.” Opinion surveys had indicated that Likud would win early elections handily, and Netanyahu had pledged to use that likely victory to form what he called a “broad coalition,” one that at least some of the nation’s weak opposition parties would expected to join eagerly. The deal forged early Tuesday, which gives the governing coalition 94 of 120 seats in parliament, allowed Netanyahu to quickly deliver on that promise without campaigning. “The new Netanyahu government is made of one hundred tons of solid concrete,” political analyst Yossi Verter wrote for the Haaretz newspaper, adding that the prime minister was “certainly worthy of the title ‘king of the political system.’ ”
Yuval Zellner: Winner Yuval Who? We asked the same thing. Zellner just replaced Livni in the Knesset. Until this morning, he was going to go down in history as one of the shortest serving MKs (who would never get a second chance at it either). Now he gets a chance to serve.
Don't bet on the election system being changed - something that comes up every time there is a large coalition. Likud - or a Likud merged with Kadima - are the only parties with any incentive to do that right now. No one else is strong enough. The only way we will change to direct election of Knesset members is if we get a single party winning a majority, or two parties that can form a coalition by themselves. That's not the case now.
Where Netanyahu gains the most is on freedom of action with Iran. President Obama isn't going to be able to do much to impede Netanyahu before November 6th if a strong coalition 90 plus MK's out of 120 votes for an attack.
A number of people were trying to figure out why Netanyahu was calling for early elections, and a consensus of sorts was that it would give him more flexibility in deciding on a military option for Iran since Likud was well ahead in the polls. If that is true, this unity government is even more effective than any election results could have been in giving Israel internal political strength should it make that decision.
The adding of former IDF chief of staff Mofaz to the cabinet confirms another emergent Netanyahu pattern – namely, his preference for gathering around himself former military men whose undoubted professional skills are accompanied by a notable lack of political ones. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is the senior representative of this type. Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon also exemplifies it. Mofaz is the third addition to the list. ... But though accurately seen in Israel as a mediocre politician, the Iranian-born Mofaz was a highly competent soldier and officer, and a relatively successful IDF chief of staff.
Though most foreign observers will jump to the conclusion that the Tehran-born Mofaz will provide Netanyahu with the internal backing needed to attack Iranian nuclear targets sometime in the next year, most Israelis are thinking more about the possibility of the largest secular parties now being able to unite to deal with question of military service for the ultra-Orthodox. This ought to make clear to even the dimmest of American observers of the Middle East — especially those so-called “liberal Zionists” who harbor unrealistic ambitions to remake the Jewish state in the image of American Jewry —not only the strength of Netanyahu’s ascendancy but how little the left counts in Israeli politics anymore.
As I write this, I am listening (unfortunately, off and on - I'm busy with work) to the joint press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader (soon to be Deputy Prime Minister) Shaul Mofaz.
What's striking about it is that their opening statements dealt first (and in Netanyahu's case only) with changing the electoral system to one that does not give small parties veto power over the coalition. I would say that the only thing less likely than that passing is a deal with the 'Palestinians.'
Netanyahu's dirty trick or Netanyahu's brilliant move?
The one night I close the computer by 1:30 am, the big news breaks at 2:30.... Prime Minister Netanyahu cut a deal during the night with Kadima party chairman Shaul Mofaz to add Kadima to the coalition. Let's start with why it happened and then we'll look at the implications.
Prime Minister Netanyahu did not want new elections, but felt forced into them by pressures regarding the Tal Law (the invalidated law that allowed yeshiva students to defer army service), and the prospect of the Supreme Court forcing the government to dismantle Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, which would have forced Netanyahu to confront the right in his own coalition. But when he saw at the Likud convention on Sunday that he was going to see his own party lurch sharply right (a process Netanyahu has been fighting for the last four years), Netanyahu felt he had to act.
Mofaz did not want to go to elections because it would have seen Kadima shrink from 29 seats to 14 or less according to current polls.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak did not want elections because polls showed his party would not make the minimum to stay in the Knesset.
The biggest losers in this are the Labor party, which stood to jump from five seats to 15, and Yair Lapid, whose new party stood to start out at 11 seats.
The current parties in the coalition - Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Jewish Home - are staying put for now. Yisrael Beiteinu is in danger of its leader being indicted. Given that Shas and UTJ are staying in, it seems unlikely that Yisrael Beiteinu will get the 'equal service' they are seeking to force all the yeshiva students into the army, and in fact, there is word this morning that Netanyahu has promised the two ultra-Orthodox parties that everything regarding the IDF will be done cooperatively.
Shas gains because it keeps Aryeh Deri from returning to the Knesset. Israel Radio reports that Shas is likely to go along with whatever replaces the Tal Law, while United Torah Judaism is likely to leave the coalition if the replacement of the Tal Law is not to its liking (as is likely to be the case). Well, maybe. I don't see what UTJ has to gain by leaving the coalition.
The Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El is unlikely to be destroyed as the Supreme Court has decreed. The country overwhelmingly opposes its destruction, and either the Supreme Court will 'reconsider' or it will face the reality of a government coalition that will pass a law circumventing their ruling (as the Knesset is entitled to do). That's the attraction that keeps Jewish Home in the coalition.
Aside from Labor and Lapid, another potential loser is Moshe Feiglin, whom Netanyahu is trying to expel from the Likud. Netanyahu's best chance of winning that battle is to fold Kadima back into the Likud. Will that happen? That depends on the egos involved.
Don't bet on the election system being changed - something that comes up every time there is a large coalition. Likud - or a Likud merged with Kadima - are the only parties with any incentive to do that right now. No one else is strong enough. The only way we will change to direct election of Knesset members is if we get a single party winning a majority, or two parties that can form a coalition by themselves. That's not the case now.
The budget seems likely to pass, which was another problem Netanyahu was trying to resolve.
And Iran? That's probably where Netanyahu has the most freedom of action, at least until November 6. Obama can't do anything to stop him if a coalition of 94 MK's out of 120 decides to attack, with another 15 supporting it from the opposition.
Those are my first thoughts on the drama that happened last night. I think it's a dirty trick against all the losers described here, but I also think it's a brilliant move on Netanyahu's part. We'll see how it plays out - I suspect they won't be as dramatic as a lot of people this morning think they are going to be.
3. Netanyahu was not going to attack Iran before September anyway, but he will have a new government in place before November 6 if he feels an attack on Iran is necessary.
Netanyahu is set on Sunday to announce that he is dissolving parliament and calling elections for September 4 — a year ahead of schedule. In the weeks immediately after that vote, said well-connected commentator Amnon Abramovich on the top-rated Channel 2 news, Netanyahu will head a transition government at home and have no need to worry about voter sentiment, and he knows that President Barack Obama will be paralyzed by the US presidential campaign.
...
But Abramovich said that the dramatic decision to bring the elections forward relates to Iran. After the September elections, which all polls show Netanyahu winning easily, he will head a transition government for several weeks while a new coalition is formed. During that period, Netanyahu “will not be beholden to the voters,” and will be free to take decisions on Iran that many Israelis might not support, Abramovich said.
Furthermore, he will still have his trusted Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, at his side. Barak is seen as unlikely to fare well in the elections, and may not even retain his Knesset seat, but would retain the defense portfolio until a new coalition is formed.
And finally, said Abramovich, the September-October period would see Obama, who has publicly urged more patience in allowing diplomacy and sanctions to have their impact on Iran, in the final stages of the presidential election campaign, with a consequent reduced capacity to try to pressure Israel into holding off military intervention.
Obama, “on the eve of elections, won’t dare criticize Israel,” said Abramovich. From Netanyahu’s point of view, “the conditions would be fantastic.”
Shelly Yacimovich is probably best known in this country for her term as the hostess of HaKol Diburim, a popular radio talk show on Israel Radio that talks mostly politics and current events from 10:00 am until Noon Sunday through Thursday. In 2006, she quit the radio to run for the Knesset and won a seat as a member of the Labor party. Recently, she became the party chairwoman, and has brought the party back to being (a distant) second in the current polls. In the upcoming elections, she says that she hopes to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu. When asked about her qualifications and experience to be Prime Minister, here's what she had to say.
The former journalist rejected concerns that she lacked the political experience to lead the country, saying US President Barack Obama had less government experience than she did when he was elected in 2008.
Telephone poll of a representative sample of 452 adult Israeli Jews carried out by TNS for Marriv on 1 May published today.
Who of the following is most appropriate to be prime minister? (One-on-one) Netanyahu 63.5% Mofaz 16.3% Neither 16.6% Netanyahu 62.0% Shelley Yichimovitz 22.8% Neither 12.1% Netanyahu 70.6% Lieberman 9.5% Neither 18.1%
In the wake of the advancement of the elections what should happen? 27.2% Hold elections as quickly as possible 15.6% In a year 15.6% 52.0% Have as originally planned - November 2013 05.2% Don't know
What confidence do you have in the security-state leadership of PM Netanyahu and DM Barak? High 33.7% So-so 33.6% Low 9.5% Very low 12.8% Don’t know 0.8%
Do the remarks of the former Shabak head Yuval Diskin regarding the lack of trust in Barak and Netanyahu concern you? Very much 23.9% Considerably 29.6% Not so much 20.1% Not at all 24.8% Don't know 1.5%
In the wake of the remarks of Diskin it is claimed that "he caused damage to the struggle against Iranian nukes." Do you agree? A lot 23.8% Considerably 24.5% Not so much 21.2% Not at all 24.3% Don’t know 6.2%
On August 1 the Tal Law will end, that give a waiver for army service for yeshiva students. What should be done now? 48.9% Enact law of drafting everyone including yeshiva students and Arabs to the IDF or national service without any compromise. 21.6% Law that increases the number serving from ultra-orthodox and Arabs 17.6% Continue status quo 10.0% Don't draft ultra-orthodox and Arabs at all 1.9% Don’t know
1. Netanyahu is hedging his bets against an Obama reelection. Right now, Obama cannot send anyone to Israel to help beat Bibi; he needs all the consultants for himself. If elections were held in 2013 and Obama were still President, he could double down to try to beat Netanyahu.
2. The polls now are very much in Netanyahu's favor. No one knows what will happen down the road.
3. Netanyahu was not going to attack Iran before September anyway, but he will have a new government in place before November 6 if he feels an attack on Iran is necessary.
4. Until now, the coalition has behaved itself. But with Avigdor Lieberman threatening 'my way or the highway' regarding the Tal Law, Netanyahu has decided he wants to weaken Lieberman. Note that in the poll (first link) Yisrael Beiteinu is dropping from 18 seats to 12.
5. If there are no elections, the government would have to come up with a solution to the Tal Law dilemma by August 1, After that, elections would probably happen anyway. This way, Netanyahu makes the Tal Law solution part of the government formation negotiations, and is able to remain in power after the reform is enacted.
By the way, I don't buy the Knesset numbers in the poll. I think that a lot of religious voters are going to come back to the religious parties (instead of, for example, voting Likud) once they realize what the implications of a replacement for the Tal Law are. And that includes National Religious voters who may suddenly find that the Lieberman's and Lapid's of the world want the Hesder boys to do a full three years in the army rather than fifteen months as part of a five-year stay in yeshiva as is the case today.
It'll be official next week: Knesset to be dissolved in favor of elections
It will be official on Wednesday. The coalition and the opposition have agreed to dissolve the current Knesset, which was the most stable and longest-lasting one we have had in the 21 years since I moved here, and go to elections. Elections are likely to take place in September.
Coalition Chairman MK Zeev Elkin (Likud) filed an official motion for the dissolution of the 18th Knesset on Wednesday.
Likud officials told Ynet that the part will now push for elections on Tuesday, September 4.
Opposition Chairman Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) however, is pushing for Sunday, September 16 and election day.
Accordingly, the Knesset is likely to end its term next week.
An earlier story said that Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted elections to take place in August. Given that this country (thankfully) does not allow absentee ballots, that would be insane. But not nearly as insane as Mofaz's plan to hold them on September 16. That is the eve of Rosh HaShanna, the Jewish New Year.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
