Posted on 10/27/2008 5:44:53 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's failure to form a government proved that all roads do in fact lead to Jerusalem. It was the issue of Jerusalem that deadlocked and ultimately scuttled Livni's coalition negotiations with Shas, which demanded that she pledge not to negotiate the partition of the city with the Palestinians. Livni refused to make such a pledge. And so the negotiations failed and new elections will soon be called.
In refusing to agree to Shas's demand, Livni made clear that partitioning the city - that is, giving the Palestinians sovereignty over the Temple Mount and the Arab neighborhoods - is so central to her preferred foreign policy that she could not budge on the issue despite her obvious desire to take up residence in the Prime Minister's Office. Moreover, it showed that she believes that the bulk of her potential voters hail from the post-Zionist Left. To win their support, she had to make clear that she is one of them.
In making Jerusalem, rather than welfare payments the wedge issue in their negotiations with Livni, Shas's leaders demonstrated their recognition of the fact that defending Israeli sovereignty over the capital city is more important to their voters than increasing welfare. Had they entered a Livni government without securing a pledge to defend Jerusalem, Shas would have been hard pressed to compete with the Likud in the coming elections.
Due to the centrality of Jerusalem in Livni's failed negotiations with Shas, it is apparent that maintaining or ending sovereignty over united Jerusalem will be the central issue of the coming elections.
(Excerpt) Read more at carolineglick.com ...
Kadima is a wreck. Likud and Shas are probably the parties of the near future. It will be interesting to see how Obama will bully Israel if these two parties win and try to defend themselves against Islamist aggression.
Israel will need Bibi if America elects O.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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Shas ought to align with Likud and other right-leaning parties to form a government: Then Likud and Netanyahu can finally get tought with the terrorists, and Hezbolla that this government (btw I am American, not Israeli) has failed to do for the last four years..!
Shas ought to align with Likud and other right-leaning parties to form a government: Then Likud and Netanyahu can finally get tought with the terrorists, and Hezbolla that this government (btw I am American, not Israeli) has failed to do for the last four years..!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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