Barak expected to give Olmert ultimatum: Quit, or I walk (Israeli govt. could fall)

Following consultations late Tuesday night, Defense Minister Ehud Barak is seriously considering presenting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with an ultimatum on Wednesday: Either the premier resign, or Barak will pull Labor out of the coalition, thus forcing new elections.

Channel 1 first reported on the matter late on Tuesday, saying that Barak made his decision after consulting with advisers at his house. However, the Labor chairman issued a statement soon after which denied that such consultations took place at his home, and that only after holding a meeting with Labor ministers and MKs early Wednesday morning would he actually make any decisions.

Barak is expected to convene a Labor faction meeting on Wednesday, during which the issue of an ultimatum will be brought up. Following that meeting, the defense minister is reportedly leaning towards holding a press conference, at which time he will present his decision.

The reports on Barak's decision comes after a day in which New York financier Morris Talansky testified in court to giving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert envelopes of cash amounting to no less than $150,000. Since details of the police investigation into Talansky's relationship with Olmert became public two weeks ago, politicians from the Right to the Left have called on the prime minister to resign.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Barak advisor told The Jerusalem Post that the Labor chairman was seriously considering using the theme of "cleaner governance" as a main issue in his campaign.

This is from an American site and is about 80% correct:

Kadima (”Forward” in English)

Ideology: Kadima sees Israel as a democratic Jewish state with Jerusalem serving as the country’s undivided capital. The State of Israel serves as the Jewish national home, thus the need to maintain a Jewish population majority is essential.

Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Road Map Peace Plan should be followed. The Kadima party calls for the establishment of a disarmed, terror-free Palestinian state alongside Israel and the preservation of Jerusalem and large West Bank settlement blocs under Israeli control.

Economy: Kadima supports capitalist free-market economics.
Religion: The party has not yet elaborated.

Famous Leaders: Ariel Sharon, Tzipi Livni, Michael Nudelman, Haim Ramon, Ehud Olmert, Meir Sheetrit
Site

Likud (”Consolidation” in English)
Ideology: Zionist, conservative

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Likud supports Israeli settlements in the territories.

Economy: Likud supports capitalist free-market economics.
Religion: Likud believes in maintaining the status quo. Thus, Likud support legislative and other arrangements designed to insure the authority of the Orthodox Rabbinate in all matters of personal status and religious practice in Israel.

Famous Leaders: Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Benjamin
Netanyahu, Ariel Sharon

Avoda (”Labor” in English)

Ideology: Zionist, social-liberal

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Labor support peace negotiations with the Palestinians and dismantling most Israeli settlements.

Economy: Labor favors a free market economy, gradual privatization and reduced government involvement in the economy. Labor maintains that government must act with social responsibility, recognizing that the provision of education, health and other social services, cannot be guaranteed by the market place.

Religion: Labor views all religious streams as legitimate, and opposes legislation that denies the rights of non-Orthodox citizens and groups in Israel.

Famous Leaders: Ehud Barak, David Ben-Gurion, Chaim Herzog, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Sharett, Abba Eban, Moshe Dayan

Shinui (”Change” in English)

Ideology: Zionist, secular, liberal, defender of political purity and lawful behavior

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Shinui supports the Israeli West Bank fence and Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from some territories.

Economy: Shinui supports a free market, privatization of public assets, and a lowering of taxes, especially taxes on the middle class.

Religion: As a democratic state, Israel should offer its citizens freedom and equality. Shinui believes all branches of Judaism are legitimate and equal. The party supports religious freedom and strongly opposes religious coercion. It considers army exemption of orthodox youth to be a national scandal.

Famous leader: Joseph ‘Tommy’ Lapid

Shas (Sephardim Religious Party)

Ideology: Shas represents Israeli’s ultra-orthodox

Sephardic (Jews of Spanish, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern descent) community.

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Shas maintains relatively flexible policy toward Palestinians which sometimes enables the party to become a coalition partner with whatever party is most powerful.

Economy: Shas supports the expansion of religious legislation, supports tax and economic initiatives to benefit the poor and middle classes, operates many community social-welfare projects.

Religion: Led by a council of Torah sages, Shas supports continued army exemption for religious scholars and amending the Law of Return to reflect Jewish Law.

Famous Leaders: Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Aryeh Deri, Eli Yishai
Mafdal (National Religious Party)

Ideology: Mafdal represents Israel’s religious Zionist movement and its belief in the importance of a Jewish state in the land of Israel with a religious way of life.

Arab-Israeli Conflict: Mafdal opposes a Palestinian state, withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza, any Palestinian autonomy in the Land of Israel, the ceding of any territory to a foreign power, and the uprooting of any settlement. The party supports a separation fence that would surround Palestinian population centers.

Economy: Israeli society and the state of Israel should support the poor and the needy

Famous leaders: Efraim Eitan

I am/was a member of the Likud party, although since I am active military, I deem it innapropriate to particiapte.

My wife is/was a member of the Shas party (even though she is not Sephardic) and Mafdel, although we are truly not very political.

We get along “OK.”

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