Israelis are Going to the Polls

When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned to defend himself against corruption charges, it was pretty certain that new elections would be needed. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni tried to cut a deal with the orthodox Shas party, but the price was too high. Now, it looks like the right will unite and put Benjamin Netanyahu in office, ending any motion toward peace.

The price Shas wanted was financial concessions and a promise that Jerusalem would not be subject to any negotiations with the Palestinians. Ms. Livni said, “I was ready to pay a certain price . . . . but I wasn’t ready to mortgage the future of Israel.” She added, “We have been in a period of uncertainty for several months and therefore the elections should take place as soon as possible.”

Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said that the peace process is “teetering” on the brink of collapse. “Time has become more pressing, as far as such a solution is concerned, with every brick added to the settlements, every new road built for the settlers and every stone lengthening the wall,” he said.

The entire process is now on ice until the election is over and a new government sworn in. Even then, there may not be any motion. Shas is likely to hold the balance of power again, and Likud will gladly agree to keeping Jerusalem off the table. It is Likud policy anyway. “It turns out the Kadima leaders are ready to give up the whole of Judea and Samaria and carry out the program of the extreme left," Likud parliamentary leader Gideon Saar said.

According to a poll published in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, Kadima would win 29 of the 120 parliamentary seats while Likud would get 26 and Labour would win just 11 seats if elections were held now The current Knesset has 29 Kadima deputies, 19 Labour, while Likud and Shas each have 12.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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