It's impossible to understand why anyone who literally wasn't born yesterday would get excited about the new Likud-Kadima coalition forged by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.
Of course, the coalition is great news for the members of the new coalition (94 out of the 120 Knesset members). Politicians love staying in office and don't enjoy facing the voters and this deal puts off the next election until 2013. For Netanyahu, this arrangement is a big win. Stable coalitions are rare in Israel and this one looks to be as stable as any in Israel's history.
But what is there to be excited about?
Some say that an Israeli attack on Iran is less likely because Mofaz is less hawkish on Iran than Netanyahu and that appears right.
But an attack on Iran was looking less and less likely anyway. Moreover, it can be assumed that Netanyahu would not have joined with Mofaz unless he had a commitment (probably in writing) that his new partner would back him should he decide to attack. Also, with 94 Knesset members in his new coalition, Netanyahu has the support to do whatever he wants to Iran -- with one giant caveat. It is the United States that can tie his hands, not other Israeli politicians, which appears to be what is happening.
On Palestinian issues, there is little difference between Netanyahu and Mofaz. Although Mofaz emphasizes the urgency of an agreement with the Palestinians, and is more forthcoming than Netanyahu about territorial withdrawal, his record as Minister of Defense shows him to be utterly brutal in dealing with Palestinians.
Nonetheless, some ever-optimistic doves see the possibility known, in abbreviated form, as Nixon/China.
Once President Richard Nixon was confident about his political future he threw over his old allies on the right and pursued the normalization of relations with China. In fact, he stood the world on its head by actually going to China, a scenario impossible to imagine until Nixon did it.
The Nixon/China analogy fails with Netanyahu for one reason: Nixon wanted to go to China. Netanyahu does not want to end the occupation or reduce tensions with Iran.
If Nixon had spent his first three years in office demonstrating unrelenting hostility to China, he would not have been able to make his historic trip. Instead, quietly, he laid the groundwork.
Netanyahu? Come on.
Looking at it from the other side, there is nothing that earth-shaking either. Writing in the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria says that Israel is "now stronger than ever."
That view is also common in right-wing circles. Netanyahu is now the master of all he sees. And with him, Israel itself.
This might be true in some other time when nations were isolated from developments in other countries. The United States, separated by two oceans from Europe, was relatively isolated from the wars of the "Old World" until after World War 1. Obviously, FDR's United States was very much affected by events far away, which has been the case ever since.
As for Israel, its future (and its present) is affected by decisions made by Palestinians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Jordanians, (to name a few). Then there is Hamas and Hezbollah, and even Fatah.
Those are just the Arabs. Add the Iranians and Turks to the mix and it becomes even more clear that those who think a cosmetic change in Israel's government makes it "stronger than ever" are either blowing smoke or are just putting out the safe conventional wisdom.
No, it is not 1938 or 1942 as Prime Minister Netanyahu loves to say, and thank God for that. But neither is Israel some secure outpost that can continue to do whatever it wants, to whoever it chooses, whenever it wants to.
It has exactly one friend in the world and exactly two peace treaties with its neighbors (the more important of which, the peace treaty with Egypt, looks to be on its death bed).
Rather than pat himself on the back for creating a strong coalition, Netanyahu should strive to create a strong Israel. That, however, would require peace. And peace requires ending the occupation. That will not happen under this prime minister.
The new coalition is of no significance whatsoever.
Follow MJ Rosenberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mjayrosenberg
Since we have yet to learn what the policies that this coalition has yet to adopt, Rosenberg seems precoccupied by the individual players. I wish he would be more consistent.
and a sentences later you claim that the only way to achieve a strong Israel is to sign a peace deal with current Palestinian government.
I mean seriously can't you see how that would be hard for people to swallow. Why should Israel put itself in a much more dangerous situation giving away so much for a peace which is only a piece of paper which can be canceled the moment the Islamic party of Hamas wins the elections.
Instead what you should be writing is that if the United States and the rest of the world really wants to assure Israel would put its trust in peace agreements with neighboring Arabs we must come down hard on Egypt and make sure they follow the peace agreement to the last clause.
There are the extreme settlers in govt who have to accept the govt removing settlement on private arab land - also supreme court
Lieberman is about to be arraigned for a hundred multi million shekel crimes
There is a huge chasm between Likud (tea party) and Kadima(center maybe) on social issues.
Both the biggest parties Likud and Kadima want to change the hilarious voting system.
And many other stuff I cant remember.
The coalition at this incredulous number is definately not hard fact
If there is a scene with Iran everything may change off course. (maybe a lot less voters for one)
The children of Palestinian refugees sit in poor conditions in Arab countries being lied to by crazed religious leaders about how they will somehow wipe the Jews out and turn Israel into Palestine.
or sending billions to Switzerland ( see Arafat and now mrs arafat)
And that can only be accomplished through fair actions based upon Justice for ALL, not on bullets, and not on offers with a rifle to their heads.
The sickening part is how some people try to rationalize NOT applying Justice for ALL and equality under the law to human beings within a society.
ALL humans deserve nothing less.
Since EVERYONE deserves that, except perhaps an anti-semite.....
Except for Israelis who, according to Doug, deserve to have rockets shot at their kindergartens and school buses, families including infants slaughtered in their beds, and any other acts of violence against innocent civilians which Doug views as "justice."
Such a humanitarian...
Strange, as a supporter of Israel, I would think you would support them enjoying the fruits and the peaceful co-existence of Justice for ALL, and equality under the law, as these principles provide the basis for humans to achieve and to enjoy.
Sad, very sad.... I would think that you would want better lives for them, with a true opportunity for them ALL to achieve a peaceful co-existence.
So why don't you want Israelis to achieve a true sustainable peaceful co-existence in their homeland? Are you an anti-semite?
"The fact of the matter is that the Israeli Labour party has supported all the wars Israel has waged, and actually ran and instigated most of them. The two latest gory interventions, in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza this year, were both orchestrated by Labour ministers of defence, Amir Peretz and Barak. Paying lip service to the division of Palestine while planning and propagating territorial expansionism and land-grabbing has been the policy of the Labour party ever since the early days of the Zionist movement..."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/26/israel-labour-binyamin-netanyahu-ehud-barak
For those who believe that "liberal" values and Zionism (as currently articulated) can coexist:
"It is time for any Israeli with an enlightened self-image to look at the mirror and see Avigdor Lieberman staring back. It is time to stop the procrastination over the question whether Israel can be both Jewish and democratic ... It is time to stop fidgeting, and to admit that mono-ethnicism cannot be a framework for liberal values ... It is time to rethink Zionism."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/16/israelandthepalestinians-israeli-elections-2009
That's why they're still there.
Palestinians/Arabs, and others, in Israel have an opportunity to apply for CITIZENSHIP there if they reside there. They have citizenship if they are born there. They are DENIED such opportunities, as well as voting rights anywhere OUTSIDE of Israel.
Palestinians do not WANT to be Israelis. That is their choice. The results are they forego any rights associated with citizenship. They would encounter the same situation if they lived in the U.S. or a number of other nations. The remedy is to change their mind, to accept the situation as is, or to move elsewhere. That is, if they wish to change their status. There are people, the woprld over, who live either illegally, or as legal residents, in countries of which they are not citizens. That inevitably involves a lack of rights accorded to citizens, but also duties, such as serving in the military.
Stated another way, how many missiles from Mexico would it take before the US responded?
http://www.alternet.org/story/47998/
Moreover, Gaza and the West Bank have their own governments. Should Israelis get to vote in their elections?
Your comment makes no sense.
I disagree especially after reading the above article.
Adjectives like "dove" "hawkish" applied to Israelis sound very laughable.
I call BS. How about laying the blame where it belongs, on the Lebanese Christians?
Nah, who care about Arabs killing other Arabs.
Sharon initially refused to resign as Defense Minister and Prime Minister Menachem Begin refused to fire him. After a grenade was tossed into a dispersing crowd of an Israeli Peace Now march, killing Emil Grunzweig and injuring 10 others, a compromise was reached: Sharon agreed to forfeit the post of Defense Minister but stayed in the cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio.
On 18 June 2001 relatives of the victims of the Sabra massacre began proceedings in Belgium to have Sharon indicted on war crimes charges. Elie Hobeika, the leader of the Phalange militia who carried out the massacres, was assassinated in January 2001, several months before he was scheduled to testify against Sharon for the trial.
The above sentence, is spin at it's best. Excellent, well done.
You must really be annoyed with the US.
You know, that shining example you keep holding up?
Regularly killing Afghan civilians, after killing 600,000 Iraqi civilians, missiles attacking Pakistan on a weekly basis, sanction hits on our our citizens (Anwar Al-walaki). And of course we can go just a little further back to list all the democratically elected leaders the US has killed and replaced with repressive regimes (Allende, Lumumba, Ngo Dinh Diem...etc etc etc).
Apparently, you know as little about what the US does as you know about what Turkey does.
I have repeatedly posted how, (and nobody can dispute), the current usage of bullets over 70 + years, has NOT resolved this conflict.
It should be suggested (for EVERYONES') best interests, replacing bullets with Justice for ALL as the wiser choice to resolve this multi decade conflict between human beings.
And nobody should be able to argue against the value of ALL Israelis and their non-citizens being improved through the application of Justice for ALL.
Until you also can call for the Palestinians to stop THEIR usage of bullets (and rockets, and rocks, etc.) and for them also to work toward a peaceful solution, all your faux humane comments fool no one into thinking that your calls for justice and peace for "ALL" actually include Israelis as well.
The aggressor has to stop first, then the defenders can too.
It's amazing how even such a possibility, with the addition of a large moderate faction to Israel's ruling coalition, elicits such a strong negative reaction from people who claim to be pro-Israel and/or pro-peace. It reveals their true agenda to be quite the opposite.
How come the original PLO founders claim they have no historical claim to the land but some online posters think otherwise? Inb4 I am a Hasbara, paid by Mossad, Evil Juice trooper, ect, ect.
Assuming facts not in evidence.
" This organization DOES NOT exercise any regional SOVEREIGNTY over the West Bank... ... Gaza Strip...."
Can you please explain this to me please?
That's why.
But I'm glad you admit ending the occupation will not end the conflict.
Sometimes you bet against the house and the house wins - time to move on.