How we got here
For those who have forgotten, here's a video from 2004 that highlights the debate over Israel's expulsion of Gaza's Jews and abandonment of the territory. Who was right and who was wrong?
Let's go to the videotape (with English subtitles).
Speaking of history, for what it's worth, one of my children told me last night that he had a conversation with Mrs. Carl while I was in the US in which he said "I remember Abba telling me all about Obama eight years ago. Every single thing he said would happen has come true." I invite you to go back to my archives from 2006 and 2007 and see how many more things I predicted correctly.
Unfortunately. this blog did not exist until January 2006, and my predictions with respect to the Gaza expulsion were wiped out when Charles Johnson purged all comments on his blog from those who did not agree with his new political views.
Labels: Ariel Sharon, Ashkelon, Binyamin Netanyahu, Gaza expulsion, Gush Katif, Hamas rockets, Limor Livnat, Sylvan Shalom, Yuval Steinitz
What if Israel's new draft law doesn't pass?
Oh the seculars hate the religious, and the religious hate the Arabs, and the Arabs hate the nationalists, but everyone hates the Haredim. (That's actually a take-off on a song I heard in college about Catholics and Protestants hating each other, which ended 'but everyone hates the Jews.' There's a lesson there we ought to be hearing).
It seems that all those people who want an 'equal burden' have only one thing in common: They all want to draft Haredim. And with the Perry Commission opening hearings on the proposed bill on Sunday evening, just about everyone is
threatening to vote against it (link in Hebrew).
Sport and Culture Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) says that she will vote against the bill because of its criminal sanctions against draft evaders and yeshiva heads. She also wants the implementation period extended from three years to four... perhaps so that the bill won't need to be implemented before the next election.
Livnat also worries about how having Haredim in the IDF will impact women's roles. It goes without saying that for most of the Haredim, serving in close quarters with women will be considered 'to die rather than violate.'
The Tzipi Livni party says that they will vote against the bill unless it treats the Hesder yeshivas equally with the Haredim. But of course, the discrimination in favor of the Hesder yeshivas was one of the Jewish Home party's motivations for supporting the bill and they are not willing to give that up. As currently written, the bill removes the shorter army service period for Hesder yeshivas as compared with everyone else.
Both Livni and Jewish Home want to see Arabs serve. But Livni only wants to see them in national service, and says that her party will vote in favor of the bill without a section binding the Arabs. Jewish Home will not vote for the bill unless it includes the Arabs. At present, it does not.
'Equality of burden' for thee but not for me? What could go wrong?
Labels: Haredim, hesder, IDF, Limor Livnat, Tzipi Livni
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 Likud a democracy? Don't make me laugh
The Likud's MK's are sharpening their knives for the Prime Minister, because he has decided to leave the current Likud ministers in place even though
many young MK's ranked far higher in the party's primary.
Meanwhile, the younger generation of Likud MKs, who ranked high in
the party primary - Ze'ev Elkin, Danny Danon, Tzipi Hotovely, Yariv
Levin and others - began to express frustration at reports that
Netanyahu does no plan to appoint any new ministers from within his
party.
Danon expressed careful optimism that he - ninth on the
party list - could get a ministry instead of MK Tzachi Hanegbi - 26th,
who Netanyahu promised a portfolio.
"I hope the prime minister
will consider the results of the primary," Danon said. "He needs to [go
by the party list], because the Likud is a democracy."
Danon also
called for Netanyahu to realize that there is a new generation of
lawmakers in the Likud, and that not all of the old guard should be left
in place.
"Netanyahu can't ignore what Likud voters want," Danon added.
MK
Tzipi Hotovely, the highest-ranking woman in the Likud, attacked
Netanyahu's intentions more directly, saying that he is making a
mistake.
"It's a mistake to go for old politics and recycling the
old list of ministers. At the end of the day, the public will look at
the Likud's list and say, if the government doesn't change, then why did
we vote in the primary? In a way, this shows lack of faith in the the
[primary] voting process," Hotovely told Galei Yisrael Radio.
Hotovely
specifically mentioned Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat, 27th
on the party's 31-seat list, as someone who should no longer be part of
the government.
"Thousands of votes separate me and Limor Livnat," Hotovely pointed out.
I suppose we should be thankful he's given up on keeping Ehud Barak as Defense Minister. But Danny's Danon's phrase that I highlighted above is so wrong it's pathetic. Netanyahu pushed Moshe Feiglin down to an unrealistic slot after the 2009 primaries, he prevented a new central committee from being elected for years, and he is now trying to return the Likud to a system where the Central Committee - rather than party members - selects and ranks the candidates for MK positions.
As someone who spent more than three hours voting in the primary, I'm angry but not surprised. .The Likud a democracy? It's about as democratic as Egypt.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Danny Danon, democracy, Israeli Knesset, Likud Central Committee, Likud party, Likud Young Generation, Limor Livnat, Moshe Feiglin, Tzipi Hotovely
Feiglin now 'mainstream'
Anyone who thinks Moshe Feiglin had nothing to do with the cancellation of the early elections and Likud's deal with Kadima might want to consider this: Eight Likud ministers and Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin attended
Moshe Feiglin's son's wedding on Sunday night.
In the ultimate sign that Feiglin is no longer considered controversial, no less than eight Likud ministers as well as Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin attended the wedding of Feiglin's son Aryeh and his bride Todayah on Sunday.
Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein, and Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat all attended to honor Feiglin.
Livnat was the most surprising attendee because she had vocally bashed Feiglin in the past. Even Netanyahu reached out to Feiglin last month, calling him to express condolences when Feiglin's father died.
"No one questions our allegiance to the Likud anymore,” Feiglin said. “Everyone sees that it is much more natural that the national camp in Likud decides races in the party than non-Zionist Arab voters making the difference in Kadima and Labor.”
Sorry guys, but much as I wish this were not so, I still believe that Netanyahu's intent is to keep Feiglin out of the Knesset and to diminish his influence in the Likud by merging Kadima back into the party.
But okay, Livnat attending is a big surprise. She's very much a
Netanyahu loyalist.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Kadima, Likud party, Limor Livnat, Moshe Feiglin
Anger at gutless Likud ministers
There is said to be anger at Likud ministers who are known to oppose the 'settlement freeze' extension, but
refuse to sign the petition against it.
There is growing anger in the Likud against ministers who are known to oppose another freeze on Jewish construction but have refused to sign a petition to the Prime Minister for fear it will harm their positions.
Amongst those who oppose the freeze but have refused to sign are Ministers Moshe Kahalon, Limor Livnat, Moshe Peled, Gilad Erdan, Yisrael Katz and Ofir Akunis.
Livnat is known to be particularly close to Netanyahu, and I believe I have heard every one of those ministers' names mentioned as being opposed to the extension.
I would add one more name to the list: Yuval Steinitz.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Limor Livnat, settlement freeze extension, Yuval Steinitz
