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Good riddance
Ha'aretz Daily ^ | 11/01/02 | Yoel Marcus

Posted on 10/31/2002 7:28:17 PM PST by NormsRevenge

Good riddance

By Yoel Marcus

A millionaire commando all set to rescue the nation. Ne'eman and Caspi as UN mediators patching things up between Sharon and Fuad. "It's not nice," they said from morning to night. "Now is not the time. The situation is critical. Think about the consequences." "Not now. It's the wrong time," said the president, in the role of national cuckoo clock.

The Labor ministers had faces so yellow, you'd think they just came out of the theater in Moscow. They really didn't want to go. "Fuad chose the wrong issue and the worst possible timing to quit the government," said Peres, who fought like a lion to prevent the walk-out. "If a chemical warhead hits us, who's going to decide what Israel should do? Uzi Landau and Effi Eitam?"

Scaring the public has always been an effective tool in the hands of politicians. All of a sudden, they remember the country is about to be hit by an earthquake (if not tomorrow, then maybe 50 years from now). This week, Sharon remembered that Iraq has planes full of biological and/or chemical agents that could be dropped on Israel - his way of saying: Now is not the time.

Maybe Fuad's excuse for quitting isn't convincing, and maybe his timing is pretty bad, but it really doesn't matter. Labor should have been outside the government ages ago. It contributed nothing and prevented nothing. Sharon made it a laughingstock.

In name, Israel had a unity government, but in practice, it was the government of one man, who ran it like a right-wing administration, period. The Labor leaders were major partners in the government in appearance only. They knew what was going on, sometimes beforehand and sometimes afterward, to quote Begin's famous remark about his relations with Sharon. The kitchenette was closed for business. There were times when Peres was neutralized by prior arrangement with Fuad, and times when Fuad was neutralized by Sharon, who gave orders to the army over his head.

Like it or not, Labor became a partner to Sharon's bullying of the Palestinians, to the deterioration of law and order in the territories, to the preferential treatment of the settlements, to the building and expansion of outposts. Fuad himself played a double game, talking about political horizons and dismantling outposts, but doing nothing on either score. Who would have believed that a country run in partnership with the Labor Party would be denounced by the world, that its products would boycotted, its generals accused of crimes against humanity and its citizens advised not to speak Hebrew when traveling abroad?

In principle, unity governments are convened only in times of national emergency. Since the founding of the state, this type of government has been needed only twice: In 1967, in the days leading up to and including the Six-Day War, and in 1985, for the purpose of halting inflation and ending the Lebanon War. Many truly important things have been done by non-unity governments. The Sinai Campaign, which ended with the conquest of Sinai and the Gaza Strip, was fought under the auspices of the Mapai administration. Peace with Egypt in return for withdrawal from Sinai was an achievement of the Begin administration. During the Madrid Conference and the Gulf War, the Shamir administration operated entirely on its own. The Hebron accord was reached by the Netanyahu administration, and unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon was carried out by the Barak administration. The unity governments have been a recipe for paralysis, crippling leadership on both sides.

The Labor Party went into partnership with Sharon without a clear agenda of its own. In practice, the cynical objective was to shore each other up: Sharon, in his bid to block Bibi, and Fuad, to insure that he heads the Labor list for the next Knesset as a reigning defense minister. But instead of the Labor Party steering toward peace, Sharon took the lead with aggressive policies and a gradual return to the territories. Labor became irrelevant and a supplier of alibis for Sharon's actions.

Fuad's pretext for quitting the government may be forced, but things had reached the point where leaving was imperative: Labor was on the verge of disappearing as a political entity. It needs time-out to rehabilitate its leadership and recreate itself as a genuine alternative to a prime minister and a party that are leading this country toward economic, social and military hell.

True, these are not easy times, but if one looks optimistically ahead, now is the time to heave a sigh of relief and say: Good riddance.



TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Israel; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: fuad; israel; laborparty; sharon

1 posted on 10/31/2002 7:28:17 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge
There is an article that states that:

Sharon’s Government May Fall by Friday.

If Sharon fails to create a coalition government, then there will possibly be an election within 90 to 120 days. With the loss of the Labor Party, Sharon has to form a new coalition government. If he fails, the come the election and the Likud Party and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be back in power.

That would be an entirely different Israel than we now know.

LINK TO ISRAEL ARTICLE

2 posted on 10/31/2002 7:45:50 PM PST by RadicalRik
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To: RadicalRik
If Sharon fails to create a coalition government, then there will possibly be an election within 90 to 120 days. With the loss of the Labor Party, Sharon has to form a new coalition government. If he fails, the come the election and the Likud Party and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be back in power.

That would be an entirely different Israel than we now know.

If the above happens, what are the implications for the United States?

3 posted on 10/31/2002 9:14:03 PM PST by DentsRun
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To: RadicalRik
Thanks for the article.

excerpted from it..

The collapse of Sharon's government comes at a critical time for Israel. It is in the midst of an economic crisis and on the verge of a possible war in the Middle East. Some believe the Labor Party will pay a high political price in case of new elections.

One senior Likud member told CBN News Ben-Eliezer picked the most unnecessary issue at the most inopportune time. It is expected that Sharon's party, the Likud, may double the number of seats it holds in the Knesset.


The parallel with the goings on in America and the way the demoncRats have tried to stay in power are ironic. You may not like Sharon and he is one crusty old sumobitch, but he IS our crusty ol' sumobitch.

God Bless Israel and God Bless America in our hours of need.
4 posted on 10/31/2002 9:28:20 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: RadicalRik
That would be an entirely different Israel than we now know.

how so?
5 posted on 10/31/2002 11:39:49 PM PST by Robert_Paulson2
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To: DentsRun
"If the above happens, what are the implications for the United States?"

I honestly have no idea what implications, if any, there would be for the United States. Only Israel has that answer. And I am no expert by any means.

Benjamin Netanyahu is different from Sharon, but both are equally up to the job of running Israel.

I have heard Benjamin Netanyahu speak a lot in various forums and he clearly "gets it" in the knowledge of what is the threat to Israel and where it comes from and where it is based. He also seems to "get it" in how to go about taking care of it.

On the other hand, I would not say, nor ever would, that Sharon doesn't "get it". He probably does as well as Netanyahu.

So, all that being said, perhaps it boils down to the various "parties" i.e. Labor, Likud etc. like we have here in this country: "Liberal" or "Conservative"..."Hawk" or "Dove" by whatever names they go by in Israel.

One thing that I am assured of is the the God of Abraham, Issac & Jocob (Israel) is fully in charge there and "rules in the affairs of men". That we can take to the bank.

6 posted on 11/01/2002 6:45:46 AM PST by RadicalRik
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To: NormsRevenge
"God Bless Israel and God Bless America in our hours of need."

AMEN

And this passage says it well:
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
13. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
14. if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
15. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.

7 posted on 11/01/2002 6:55:11 AM PST by RadicalRik
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To: Robert_Paulson2
"That would be an entirely different Israel than we now know."


"how so?"

As I said above, I have heard Benjamin Netanyahu speak a lot in various forums, I have also read much of him and by him and he clearly "gets it" in the knowledge of what is the threat to Israel and where it comes from and where it is based. He also seems to "get it" in how to go about taking care of it.

Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party may be more agressive and less restrained towards the various terrorist organizations than Sharon and the Labor Party is how I see a "Isarael different than we now know"...

This is, of course, only my opinion and observations as someone who is supportive and interested in the happenings in Israel.

8 posted on 11/01/2002 7:04:40 AM PST by RadicalRik
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To: RadicalRik
Benjamin is the finest of leaders. I hope he takes the helm for a while. Although, I do believe Ariel did a very good job, as far as he could go with it, DRAGGING the shimon behind him. Ariel was good. Benjamin will be better.

But no matter which hawk leads, they still have to deal with the pussiefied labor party. the peres types. "give peace a chance." and all that rot.

We have the dems, they have their labor party. Why is it that all liberal parties, coddle terrorists and their organizations?

It's almost demonic it is so uncanny.
9 posted on 11/01/2002 11:07:45 AM PST by Robert_Paulson2
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To: Robert_Paulson2
"It's almost demonic it is so uncanny."

No doubt about it! It is definitely demonic and the chief demon Satan hates Israel more than he hates anyone or anything else save God Almighty Himself.
These are covenant people we're talking about and God used them to defeat Satan very effectively and will never leave them, nor forsake them.
God has a lot more in store for Israel and total destruction is not among them.
The times of Jerusalem being trodden under foot of the gentiles (or the "times of the gentiles") is coming to a close.

Something to consider is how does the United States of America as an ally of Israel fits into all this (meaning God's plan)?
Are we there (or remain here) to help Israel? Or are we out of the picture so the God can get the victory for Israel without us?

That gets into very interesting areas, but areas that I am not qualified in...

10 posted on 11/01/2002 12:41:08 PM PST by RadicalRik
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