Article

2007-05-03 Israel-Palestine-Jordan

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Posted by Fred 2007-05-03 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Start by ignoring your peacenik wife.

Posted by gorb 2007-05-03 01:17|| 2007-05-03 01:17|| Front Page Top

#2 i gotta disagree Fred.

Polls from a couple of weeks ago were showing Bibi winning in a walk against OLMERT AND PERETZ. Change leadership of either Kadima or Labour, and the respective parties do pretty well.

Face it, Israel is gonna HAVE to make peace with SOME pals, at some point, and on terms Likud (minus Kadima) will never accept (Bibi wont come right out and say HE wont accept them, hes like that, but when push comes to shove he wont, or at least most Israelis on both sides assume he wont) And the majority of Israelis know that. And of that majority, a huge number dont trust Labor to do the negotiating, and a fortiori dont trust Meretz.

Whats that leave? Kadima.

Kadima aint going anywhere, unless Likud moves substantially back toward the center, and I dont see that happening, too much gnashing of teeth on the part of the Likud base, even Bibi couldnt pull it off.

I think the real reason that Kadima is holding on, is they dont think Livni can hold the coalition together. Shes too dovish for Leiberman (which isnt saying shes all that dovish) and Shas, a an ultraO religious party is antsy about a woman PM, IIUC. That would force new elections, and that would mean fewer seats for Kadima. They would survive, but as a smaller party, with fewer ministries, possibly junior in a cabinet to either Labour or Likud.

Why theres no votes for no confidence. Well its not just Kadima that doesnt want elections yet. Shas and Leiberman apparently dont either. And Labour is about to have its own primary. I think theyd like to get through that first, and then survey the ground.

OTOH, if calling for new elections looks like a winning issue, Labour could change real fast.

Posted by liberalhawk 2007-05-03 10:22|| 2007-05-03 10:22|| Front Page Top

#3 Can the Israeli president sack the PM and/or disband parliament (Knesset)? I know presidents in some systems have that power.

Posted by Spot">Spot 2007-05-03 10:48|| 2007-05-03 10:48|| Front Page Top

#4 IIUC only if the govt doesnt have a majority, not just cause he thinks it shouldnt.

Posted by liberalhawk 2007-05-03 11:14|| 2007-05-03 11:14|| Front Page Top

#5 I always understood the president of Israel was intended to be a figurehead having tea with foreign heads of state, like the king of England. His power is to lie in his moral authority... but I could be wrong.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-05-03 12:41|| 2007-05-03 12:41|| Front Page Top

#6 the main problem with getting Olmert to quit is that his political party is almost as unpopular as he is.

Posted by mhw 2007-05-03 12:45|| http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/]">[http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/] 2007-05-03 12:45|| Front Page Top

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