Lieberman et al

The latest news from Israel is that Netanyahu will form the government with Yisrael Beiteinu.  Bibi decided not to include certain parties in his coalition; he will likely only be able to get the minimum of 61 needed to form the government.  This could result in a very unstable government.

Yisrael Beiteinu is a far, right-wing party in terms of its views toward Arabs (as opposed to religion).  Yisrael Beiteinu was founded and is currently led by Avigdor Lieberman, a Russian.  Lieberman is widely considered to be a populist, a nationalist, and a racist.  

Lieberman supports a two-state solution, which actually puts him at odds with Bibi, who does not.  But Lieberman's two state solution involves, essentially, moving all the Palestinians to one area, perhaps by force, and having all the Jews in what is now Israel.  He also favors oaths of allegiance to the State of Israel for all citizens and especially for members the Knesset.  He feels any Arab MK should be executed for any contact with Hamas.  

He has moderated his public views somewhat, but he is still regarded by many Israelis as extremely problematic.  Under the new coalition agreement, he will become the Foreign Minister.  This is likely to be viewed with great derision among most nations, including the United States.

What will the government of Bibi and Yvet (Lieberman's nickname) look like?  Obviously it is impossible to say.  No one could have possibly predicted that Menachem Begin would make peace with Anwar Sadat or that Nixon would go to China, blah, blah, blah...So, these two extremely right wing politicians could surprise everyone.  

On the other hand, Netanyahu's record reveals he is a particularly unsavory politician.  And, Lieberman is even more unsavory.  In fact, there is a reasonable chance that he will be indicted for his role in the same casino scandal that has tainted Olmert and Sharon before him.  

Stay tuned for analysis

Gaza, Durban

Today a rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in Netivot.  No one was injured and the building was only slightly damaged.  Israel struck back at the notorious 'tunnels.'  

Again, the only question I pose is this:  what course of action will secure Israel's future?  Or, at the very least, contribute to securing Israel's future?  

I've previously referred to a book called 'Terror and Consent,' by Philip Bobbitt.  Bobbitt makes clear that our adversaries (Hamas, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, etc.) simply do not respond in the same manner as previous adversaries (Germany, Japan, etc.).   Israel can bomb Hamas in the 'tit-for-tat' kind of method they've used over the years...but Hamas has no compunction about sending every single man, woman and child to their death.  This makes it very difficult to 'win' a war in sense familiar to the Western World.  

By the way, I urge you to check out the writings of Rabbi Donnel Hartman, co-director of the Shalom Hartman Institute.  One voice, yes, but an important voice.

Meanwhile, Italy is the first EU country to pull out of Durban II.  This is very good news and we can only hope that every other civilized country will follow the lead of Italy, Canada and the United States.  Durban II will be an antisemitic debacle.

Israel Elections

Benjamin Netanyahu will likely be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Israel within weeks.  On the most important issue facing Israel, Netanyahu is extremely problematic:  he opposes a fully sovereign Palestinian state, known as the 'two-state' solution. 

What does Bibi support?  He supports Palestinian autonomy with 4 crucial 'caveats:'  No Palestinian control of airspace; no Palestinian control of borders and crossings; no Palestinian control of their own electromagnetic spectrum and no Palestinian military.  He is in favor of Palestinians being able to sell dates and figs.  For more on Bibi, see this editorial in the March 3 edition of Ha'aretz.

Thus far Tzipi Livni has refused to join Bibi's coalition, leaving him to form a coalition with other parties that are further right than he is (Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu wants to expel the Palestinians completely).  One distant possibility is a 'sharing' of government in which Netanyahu would be PM for 2 years and Livni for the other two.  

Israel Update

Rockets continue to fall on Southern Israel.  There is a conference about aid to Gaza. Israel is waiting for a new government to emerge.  Just another day in the Middle East.

Since January 18, when a cease-fire was declared, Hamas has fired 118 rockets into Southern Israel.  Thankfully, no one has been killed. Operation Cast Lead did not work.  

With Secretary of State Clinton in the Middle East, Israel simply cannot launch any response.A  Although PM Olmert has asked for the IDF to prepare for another response, it will have to wait until Clinton has 'left the building.'  But, Israel has a decision to make:  is it going to take out Hamas or not?  

Personally, I advocate taking out Hamas.  Hamas is not simply a terrorist organization...it is now the leader of government.  One 'state' is launching un-provoked attacks on another.  As many people have pointed out, there is no way any country would tolerate a similar situation. The only possible goal of any military action against that state should be the unconditional surrender of that government of the state.  If Israel determines it can be done, it should do it, regardless of public outcry.  If Israel determines it cannot be done, then I do not see the point in launching another round of fighting.