The Quiet Within the Storm
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Politics, War
You have to give Israelis credit; when the chips are down, even the ones who aren’t necessarily suspected of idealism come shining through.
As Israel went to war against Hamas over the weekend, the leaders of the major political parties all decided to suspend their political campaigns for the duration of the operation – which, both Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Barak said could be lengthy. Barak, who leades the Labor Party, said that he had to concentrate on the operation and had no time for politics.
The Likud, too, suspended its campaign, and has put on hold a radio campaign featuring ads attacking Kadima chief and Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni. Posters that bear the campaign’s tagline – “Tsipi, the job is too big for you” – that have already been put up will be taken down. In a statement Saturday night, Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu said that “there is a time for debate and a time for unity, and today is a time for unity,” he said. “If our enemies thought we would not be united under rocket fire, they were wrong. The cannons roar, but we are united.”
With the elections coming just about a month from now – and the gap between the Likud and Kadima narrowing, according to the latest polls – the suspension of campaigning is really extraordinary. It wouldn’t be surprising for opposition politicians, for example, to accuse the government of timing its operation to cynically improve its standing in the polls, giving it a “January surprise” type of bounce that could sustain it until the elections. But no – politicians on the left and the right spontaneously announced (without any coordination, as far as I could tell) that they were holding off on the negative noise we are set to be subject to. Not that any Israeli, given the choice, wouldn’t opt for the noise if it meant that the south was secure. But it does show that our political leaders and would-be leaders are a better caliber than we usually give them credit for being.
(Photo courtesy One Family Fund)
Lovin’ Livni
The object of affection
The foreign minister, Kadima leader and its candidate for prime minister in the February 10th elections has alot of other items on her resume, including Mossad agent, but until now sex symbol has not been one of them.
In ‘Livni Boy’, actor Liran Avisar wakes up over a poster of Tzippora, puts on a Livni Boy shirt and over a snappy hip hop beat, professes his love for the no-nonsense, happily married pol while dancing on the streets of Tel Aviv.
In a mixture of Hebrew and English, he sings lyrics like “Oh Tzipi, you’re what I wanted, all that I expected from a political leader,” “I don’t want Ehud. I don’t trust Bibi. Tzipi if you let me, I will be your man. Just tell me yes,” and “Not Golda, not Condoleezza, not Palin, not Michelle Obama, because no one can beat you, Momma.”
According to newspaper reports, the video was the brainchild of two young Kadima supporters who wanted to have some fun, and at the same time, drum up some street support for Livni.
“People think the video is a clever idea of [Livni strategist] Reuven Adler, but the truth is we did it at our initiative,” one of the duo told The Jerusalem Post. “Obama Girl inspired us to try to get young people here excited about Tzipi. Young people only connect to things that are really cool.”
After hearing about the video – or maybe even taking a gander – Livni reportedly called up her admirers to thank them. Now, the question is, if we’ll also begin seeing grassroots video tributes to Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, the other leaders running for PM. Perhaps ‘Bibi Babe’ featuring Pnina Rosenblum, or how about ‘Bonkers for Barak’ featuring, well, someone that likes him..
Here we go again
So, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that we’re headed for early elections. Just what this country needs.
Kadima leader Tzippi Livni, claiming that she wasn’t ready to give in to the ‘blackmail’ of potential coalition partners like Shas, took the high road and went to President Shimon Peres today and returned the mandate he entrusted her with last month to form a new government.
So barring some unforeseen blip, and owing to the convoluted manner the president and the Knesset parties must behave now, we’re looking at mid-Feburary for election day. And guess who’s prime minister til then? Ehud Olmert.
Ain’t Israeli politics grand?
I’m actually looking forward to the campaigning, because the televised election ads are among the most entertaining moments of TV since the original Saturday Night Live in the mid-1970s.
That’s about the only consolation to the whole ordeal, because whether Livni and Kadim come out on top again (highly unlikely), the Labor Party and Ehud Barak make a comeback (even unlikelier), or the Likud and Bibi Netanyahu clean up (Lord help us because it’s very likely), the resulting coalition will be very similar to The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, which goes “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
I’m sure that despite the fateful issues and decisions facing us, the next elections will have a record low turnout. Until we start producing some new blood and new ideas, more and more Israelis are going to continue turning off to politics. And it’s a time when we can ill afford to leave our fate to others to decide.
Maybe the environmental Green Party will finally galvanize voters and become this next election’s Pensioners’ party or Shinui – a dark horse coming out of nowhere.to capture the minds and hearts of the population.
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