The startling landslide victory for the Labor leadership of a not especially charismatic political newcomer really ticked off Fuad. Neither an officer nor a gentleman in defeat, he just couldn't believe what's-his-name from Haifa had swiped the whole kitty from under him. His friends and supporters muttered about an "Ashkenazi conspiracy" as if there were some kind of Ashkenazi Elders of Zion plot going on to shaft the Mizrahim.
But one thing never occurred to them. The one person who is really to blame for what happened to Fuad is Fuad himself. During his 20 months as defense minister in a national unity government, he had a fabulous opportunity to steer Arik Sharon toward peace. Instead, he turned Labor into a faceless blob by lending a hand to Sharon's bullying policies.
Despite his promises, he did not dismantle a single outpost, and in practice, proved to be nothing but a Likud lackey. There were many legitimate opportunities to dissolve the unity government, but Fuad went ahead on his very own and bet on the socio-economic horse at the worst possible time.
In a split second it was all over - no more defense ministry, no more Labor Party chair, no more visions of being prime minister. All that's left is his "me, me, me." Fuad never imagined that Sharon would call flash elections, appoint Mofaz defense minister and Bibi foreign minister, and expose the Labor Party as an empty shell. Fuad lost his power all on his own.
If he had checked the fate of politicians who played "I quit" tricks in the past, he might have noted how most of them ended up outside. Shlomo Artzi must have been thinking about politicians like Fuad when he wrote those lyrics about "cats whose lives are calculated backwards."
Sharon, the old devil, took his time, to get rid of Bibi and win himself a second term. During that interval, he drove the country downhill in every sphere. The more murderous terror attacks there were - to which he responded by heading back to the territories and carrying out operations that only increased the motivation for terror - the more public support he got. A feat worthy of the Guinness Book of Records, no question about it.
The Labor Party and assorted experts had hopes that after the war on Iraq, America would get involved, and the Bush administration would push for a regional solution that focuses on halting terror, leaving the territories, evacuating settlements and establishing a Palestinian state.
But there is a good chance that after the war on Iraq - if there is such a war - Bush will devote himself to getting re-elected on a platform that is more concerned with rescuing America from its severe economic crisis. To do that, he will need Jewish money, not to mention the support of 80 million devout Christians who are closer to Sharon's views than those of Shimon Peres.
As part of the unity government, Labor's failure was in not pressing for a political initiative. The absence of such an initiative increased terror and violence, strengthened the right, turned Labor into an irrelevant partner and set it up for a fall. The surprising victory of Mitzna, a colorless, tight-lipped man whose drawing card is that he has no experience in politics (and thus has never become dirty), testifies to the despair of a party that has lost its identity and its political calling.
In all the opinion polls, the majority of Israelis say they want peace. They say they are unhappy with the security situation and are willing to give up the settlements. But the right-wing still enjoys an absolute majority in the Knesset - due in no small measure to the herd mentality of the Labor Party. Mitzna's success lies in telling it like it is - the solution to terror is to get out of the territories.
He has given the Labor Party a national agenda, complete with dates and times. The first to go will be the settlements in Gaza: "We'll hand out absorption subsidies for making the desert bloom to the left of the fence, and cut back on the cost of military protection."
He is prepared to talk to Arafat or any other Palestinian representative and hopes to reach an agreement within a year. "I'm a defense hawk and a political dove," he says - a kind of recycled Rabin. But with all the Palestinian violence and terror, who knows what kind of Rabin we would actually have had, if he were alive today?
The question is whether Mitzna can repeat his sweeping victory on the real battlefield - the general elections. Only then will we know whether we are looking at a new Israeli leader, or just another Israeli gimmick.