Its a wonderful day for the Likud, as yet another corrupt criminal, Tzachi Hanegbi leaves the Likud to join Sharon's Qadima party. I'll never forget the pathetic advertisement from Tzachi in a Likud magazine directed towards Likud Central Committee members, in which he outright said the reason to vote for him was, "more jobim." For those in the know, "jobim" are the government and public job appointments given to Central Committee members by MKs. Granted, its done in every party in power in Israel, and the Labor party was even better at it than the Likud, yet Hanegbi brought this practice to a new low, by outright advertising it.
My big problem with the Likud is the 1000+ Trojan Horse members of the Central Committee who were hand picked by Sharon, to ensure his policies would pass in the committee. The past few votes passed by a razor thin majority, after Omri personally dragged members to vote by threatening their "jobbim" if they didn't come out to vote. So, in one of the strangest situations in Israeli history, the head of a party defects to form his own party, leaving over 1/3 of the central committee still in his grasp via remote control. When the primaries come in a few months, Sharon will try to choose Mofaz or Sharon as the proxy leader of the Likud. The other scenario is that he'll try to choose Moshe Feiglin to "tarnish" the Likud as "radical." I guess it's vogue to radicalize Moshe Feiglin, even though the Likud party's prospects have been rising (based on current polls) since Feiglin has officially announced his candidacy).
Even the WJC's failed troublemaker Isi Leibler's pathetic "analysis," attempts to marginalize Feiglin as a radical belonging on the fringe right. When corrupt people like Sharon share a common goal of marginalizing a legitimate candidate like Feiglin, with a misfit like Leibler, its no surprise that Leibler thinks Israel's headed towards Banana Republic status. Perhaps he should join Sharon at Qadima?
Even the WJC's failed troublemaker Isi Leibler's pathetic "analysis," attempts to marginalize Feiglin as a radical belonging on the fringe right. When corrupt people like Sharon share a common goal of marginalizing a legitimate candidate like Feiglin, with a misfit like Leibler, its no surprise that Leibler thinks Israel's headed towards Banana Republic status. Perhaps he should join Sharon at Qadima?
Update: Desipite the 10,000 kilometer distance between us, in a weird, almost psychic blog revalation, Ze'ev at Israel Perspectives and I came up with very similar blog postings about Hangebi and Sharon.
"Desipite the 10,000 kilometer distance between us, in a weird, almost psychic blog revalation, Ze'ev at Israel Perspectives and I came up with very similar blog postings about Hangebi and Sharon."
ReplyDeleteHey, I hate to disappoint both of you guys, but you were mit'kavin to the words of a SHINUI MK, and some others:
Shinui MK Roni Brizon said that at this rate, with the Sharon father-and-son MKs, MK Eli Aflalo and the Agrexco mini-scandal, and now HaNegbi, "the party faction can hold its meetings in the Maasiyahu Prison." Shinui MK Reshef Chen said, "It will be interesting to see which of the corrupt Kadima politicians will take upon himself the job of explaining the party's position on 'clean government.'"
The Land of Israel Task Force said, playing on a political cliche that has been used in various formats over the past ten years, "The deeper the criminal investigations, the deeper the defections [to Kadima]."
HaNegbi and Sharon's son Omri are widely perceived to be the most corrupt politicians in Israel. At the Sderot Conference this past Nov. 23, the results of a survey on this topic were publicized, indicating that HaNegbi was perceived as the most corrupt government minister. Sharon the son, Omri, received the title "most corrupt Knesset Member" in the survey.
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Other reactions:
Binyamin Netanyahu: "This move has no political significance, and is just an expression of [HaNegbi's] personal problems."
Labor MK Matan Vilnai: "How symbolic it is that on the day the police recommend HaNegbi's indictment, he joins Kadima. It appears that Kadima is turning into a 'city of refuge,' exuding a message of total disregard for public clean-handedness and values. To save money, the police can establish a special department for the Kadima party and those who join it."
Likud MK Ayoub Kara: "Criminal indictments have become the entry pass to Kadima."
Former Jerusalem Police Chief Aryeh Amit, who recently joined Labor: "It's frightening to see how HaNegbi was accepted into Kadima on the day the police recommends his indictment."
I really fear for the future or Israel.
ReplyDeleteFrumGirl: Everything will work out eventually. We live in Israel despite the problems.
ReplyDeleteThe good side always outweighs the negatives.
This has nothing to do with where Omri etc. should go. I noticed the fate of your wife's iPod in your comment to Mirty. My wife's digital camera (an anniversary present) has suffered much the same fate.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, though the issues mentioned are rather matter of fact. The very fact that the man responsible (along with Begin) for the creation of the Likud,betrayed not only the Likud but the people of Israel anywhere they may happen to be,was just about forced to flee the party he created speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteYihye tov as everybody has been saying for what...56 and counting years, Eitan.
David: The question is, who did I really buy the iPod for?
ReplyDeleteI guess, on a totally subconcious level, could I have been buying it for me?
G-d forbid!
regreg23: Or like the song goes;
ReplyDeleteAvarnu et Par'oh, Na'avor gam et zeh.
You've got me convinced. I'm going to convert to Islam and jockey for some free land. I'm thinking someplace in East Jerusalem would be great!
ReplyDeleteat what cost "na'avor et paro" is the question. BTW, I believe it's a song by either Yehoram Ga'on or Shlomo Artzi but I'm leaning towards the latter.
ReplyDeletethe sad part is Sharon has everyone bulldozed.They don't care if he and his henchmen are criminals.
ReplyDeleteregreg23: Its from Ariel Zilber. The eclectic "datiloni" singer who moved to one of the Gaza yishuvim before the Disengagement.
ReplyDelete