Two weeks
PM-designate Netanyahu has asked Pres. Peres for two more weeks according to the law to form his coalition government. Ostensibly he needs the time to clinch deals with some of the smaller right wing and religious parties that are balking at certain conditions of his main coalition partners. However, he also needs time to determine whether or not Labor will also join his coalition. This would make a big difference to Netanyahu, so that then his government could not be labeled “far-right” since Labor is on the left.
But, Labor is split, between its leader Ehud Barak, who wants to remain Defense Minister more than anything else, and some of the Labor Knesset faction who believe that joining a predominantly right wing coalition would mean the end of Labor as an effective party of the left. The question is, is Barak putting his own personal ambitions before the interests of the Party or is his contention that being in office means that Labor would be able to do things that they would not be able to do in the opposition with Kadima. The Labor Knesset faction is split and is due to vote on Tuesday on whether or not to join the coalition.
This delay means that Olmert gets to remain PM for a further two weeks. During this time people are still hoping that he will do a deal with Hamas, thru the Egyptians, to release Cpl. Schalit from captivity. Hamas had demanded 450 named terrorists be released in exchange for Schalit. Olmert and his Cabinet had gone thru the list and had decided that they could release 390 of them, but the rest were murderers who could not be released and they balked at that. Then Olmert made the statement, unusual for him, that Israel had “red lines” and that they would not breach them.
Of course, then Hamas rejected the Israeli counter-offer and blamed Israel for the break-down in negotiations. But, it is Hamas’ intransigence that is responsible over and over again for such breakdowns, since they will never compromise and are always the one that demands more. Many Israelis think that Olmert and his Cabinet should give in to the Hamas demands in order to get Schalit back. But, many more Israelis, and especially those who have lost loved ones to terrorism, are against such a deal, since it is known that ca. 70% of released terrorists go back to terrorism and many Israelis have been killed by such men.
Although the situation was in deadlock, now there are two weeks left again and many hope that during that time the Egyptians will be able to persuade Hamas to accept a compromise with Israel for Schalit’s release. After the two weeks, when Netanyahu takes office, it is known that the prospects for any such deal are greatly reduced. Neither Likud nor Lieberman’s Israel Beitanu Party are in favor of exchanging large numbers of terrorists for captured Israeli soldiers. They are more in favor of bringing pressure on Hamas, by reducing food and other supplies, by worsening the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, for example by stopping family visits (note that no-one not even the Red Cross has been allowed to visit Schalit) and by military action. So many think Hamas would be foolish not to make a deal with Olmert now, at the last moment, rather than lose the opportunity of such a deal altogether. On Friday the Schalit family held a rally in Jerusalem commemorating 1,000 days that Schalit has been held hostage in Gaza and then they will go home and wait.
While Israel is in transition, the other side, notably the PA, have taken this opportunity to bring pressure on Israel. First, Mohammed Dahlan Head of PA Security made a public statement in Egypt that since the PA had not recognized Israel’s right to exist there was no reason why Hamas should be forced to. This makes a mockery of the presumption that the Quartet’s conditions are supposed to have been accepted by the PA. Also, the PA is trying to hold an Arab Cultural Festival declaring Jerusalem the Arab Capital of Culture, as if they controlled Jerusalem. They are planning activities in Jerusalem that are illegal under Israeli law, so the Israeli security services are going to have to stop them. Is this kind of provocative activity what one expects from an organization that is supposed to be in the process of making peace with Israel?
But, Labor is split, between its leader Ehud Barak, who wants to remain Defense Minister more than anything else, and some of the Labor Knesset faction who believe that joining a predominantly right wing coalition would mean the end of Labor as an effective party of the left. The question is, is Barak putting his own personal ambitions before the interests of the Party or is his contention that being in office means that Labor would be able to do things that they would not be able to do in the opposition with Kadima. The Labor Knesset faction is split and is due to vote on Tuesday on whether or not to join the coalition.
This delay means that Olmert gets to remain PM for a further two weeks. During this time people are still hoping that he will do a deal with Hamas, thru the Egyptians, to release Cpl. Schalit from captivity. Hamas had demanded 450 named terrorists be released in exchange for Schalit. Olmert and his Cabinet had gone thru the list and had decided that they could release 390 of them, but the rest were murderers who could not be released and they balked at that. Then Olmert made the statement, unusual for him, that Israel had “red lines” and that they would not breach them.
Of course, then Hamas rejected the Israeli counter-offer and blamed Israel for the break-down in negotiations. But, it is Hamas’ intransigence that is responsible over and over again for such breakdowns, since they will never compromise and are always the one that demands more. Many Israelis think that Olmert and his Cabinet should give in to the Hamas demands in order to get Schalit back. But, many more Israelis, and especially those who have lost loved ones to terrorism, are against such a deal, since it is known that ca. 70% of released terrorists go back to terrorism and many Israelis have been killed by such men.
Although the situation was in deadlock, now there are two weeks left again and many hope that during that time the Egyptians will be able to persuade Hamas to accept a compromise with Israel for Schalit’s release. After the two weeks, when Netanyahu takes office, it is known that the prospects for any such deal are greatly reduced. Neither Likud nor Lieberman’s Israel Beitanu Party are in favor of exchanging large numbers of terrorists for captured Israeli soldiers. They are more in favor of bringing pressure on Hamas, by reducing food and other supplies, by worsening the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, for example by stopping family visits (note that no-one not even the Red Cross has been allowed to visit Schalit) and by military action. So many think Hamas would be foolish not to make a deal with Olmert now, at the last moment, rather than lose the opportunity of such a deal altogether. On Friday the Schalit family held a rally in Jerusalem commemorating 1,000 days that Schalit has been held hostage in Gaza and then they will go home and wait.
While Israel is in transition, the other side, notably the PA, have taken this opportunity to bring pressure on Israel. First, Mohammed Dahlan Head of PA Security made a public statement in Egypt that since the PA had not recognized Israel’s right to exist there was no reason why Hamas should be forced to. This makes a mockery of the presumption that the Quartet’s conditions are supposed to have been accepted by the PA. Also, the PA is trying to hold an Arab Cultural Festival declaring Jerusalem the Arab Capital of Culture, as if they controlled Jerusalem. They are planning activities in Jerusalem that are illegal under Israeli law, so the Israeli security services are going to have to stop them. Is this kind of provocative activity what one expects from an organization that is supposed to be in the process of making peace with Israel?
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:36 PM
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