Finally some good news: Peres doesn't want to be President anymore
Unhappy with the candidates to succeed Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu has floated a proposal to change the law and allow Peres to remain President after July of this year. You know,
'Palestinian' style.
But alas, King Shimon the conniving has said no. He wants to go off and run his '
Peres Center for peace' rather than continuing to foil the will of the people from another perch.
Following radio reports on Wednesday morning that Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu was allegedly seeking to have Peres remain in office
for another year during which time the law would be amended to enable
the public rather than the Knesset to elect the president, Peres' office
released a statement clarifying that the president opposes any change
to the law and fully intends to complete his term in accordance with the
current law at the end of July 2014.
Peres has a number of plans in connection with the Peres Center for
Peace in addition to which in recent months, he has received numerous
invitations to visit countries around the world after completing his
tenure.
Current heads of state and of major organizations and institutions
abroad want to have Peres as an honored guest with or without an
official role or a title. Peres is a living legend and is widely
recognized as such.
Prior to the election of Israel’s eighth president, the law permitted a
president to serve two consecutive five-year terms before stepping down.
Yes, Peres will be our ambassador for 'peace.' What could go wrong?
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, direct elections, Peres Center for Peace, Shimon Peres
Is the city against Nir?
Greetings from Fort Lauderdale where the sun is out except when it rains. You wouldn't believe the hotel room and view I have....
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat - whose campaign has sent me many SMS's and voice mails while I have been away - is in trouble. According to one reporter for a major Hebrew Israeli newspaper, if Jerusalem's turnout is above 38%, Barkat wins. If it's less than 38%, he loses, because Jerusalem's large Haredi population is turning out and voting against him. According to this report, at 9:00 pm Israel time
Jerusalem's turnout was 31%.
A Globes poll published last
week gave Barkat a six point lead over Lion but as the day wore on, the
mayors campaign became increasingly nervous and called on the public
several times to go out and vote.
Both contenders started their day at the Western Wall and then went
to cast their votes, Lion in the German Colony and Barkat in his
neighborhood of Beit HaKerem.
Voter turnout in Jerusalem was
reported as slightly lower than the rest of the country, with 31% of
eligible voters making it to the voting booth by 21:00 as opposed to 32%
nationwide. The Arab population of Jerusalem, some 35% of the capital,
refrains from voting however, skewing the voting pattern in the city
compared with other municipal districts.
The low turnout was
expected to help Lion, given the generally high haredi motivation to
vote in accordance with their rabbis’ instructions.
Noting the low
voting figures, Barkat urged people to vote, saying “The battle is
ongoing, nothing has been decided. Everyone has to go and vote in order
to guarantee the future of Jerusalem.”
His campaign pointed in
particular to particularly low turnout in the non-haredi neighborhoods
of Gilo, Pisgat Ze’ev, Har Homa and Talpiot.
“Liberman and Deri
are counting on the fact that you won't vote,” added Barkat, in
reference to Lion’s major political patrons. “This is the moment to take
responsibility for our future and the future of Jerusalem. Everyone is
obligated to go out, vote, and ensure that Jerusalem continues in the
right direction.”
I can't vote because I'm not in Israel. But this is getting interesting. I just wish they'd stop harassing me.
Labels: City of Jerusalem, direct elections, Nir Barkat
Unfortunately, this is our reality
Unfortunately,
this is our reality and most Israelis understand it well.
The majority of the Israeli public – 88% – believes that the nation's political parties are corrupt, a survey conducted by the organization Transparency International shows.
About 82% of the participants said that the government's measures to fight corruption are ineffective. It is the highest disapproval rate of all the nations within OECD.
This is what happens when politicians are answerable to their political parties and not to the people. It's shameful. And because of the vested interests that would have to be subordinated to the public good for a change to happen, the situation is very unlikely to change. Israeli democracy is a farce.
Labels: corruption, direct elections, Israeli democracy
