October 28, 2008
Tzipi Livni gambles on peace ahead of politics
TZIPI Livni's call for a snap election after her failure to hold Israel's fractious coalition government together is a setback for the Middle East. Seemingly on the cusp of becoming Israel's second female prime minster after Golda Meir, Ms Livni refused to concede to the demands being made by the ultra-orthodox Shas party in return for political support. By the recent standards of Israeli politics, it was a courageous decision, even though it plunges the region into even more uncertainly.
Ms Livni's failure to form a government removes any chance that US President George W. Bush will leave office with his legacy enhanced by at least the outline of a peace deal with the Palestinians. And it could leave his successor with a poisoned chalice. Opinion polls favour the right-wing Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next coalition government. The election of Mr Netanyahu, who is adamantly opposed to Palestinian statehood, could delay the peace process indefinitely and lead to an increase in violence by the hardline Jewish settlers and militants among the Palestinians.
A staunch secularist who believes the best chance for the survival of the Jewish state is for Israel to get out of much of the occupied territories and the West Bank, Ms Livni was considered the best hope of advancing the peace process with the Palestinians. But instead of building on the progress being made on several fronts, including the ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the normalisation of relations with Syria, Israeli politics is likely to remain in the doldrums until elections are called in February.
Ms Livni used her clean image to win the Kadima party primary vote after Ehud Olmert was forced to resign over a corruption scandal, but getting enough parties to come on board to form a government eluded her. Israeli commentators criticised her for failing to live up to her promise of standing for a "different kind of politics". But the blame does not rest entirely with her. Israel is burdened by a fractious political system in which small parties backed by narrow interest groups demand huge concessions as the price of offering political support. When Shas demanded an exorbitant increase in support for child welfare payments and an undertaking that an undivided Jerusalem ruled by Israel was not negotiable, Ms Livni called the party's bluff.
Much will depend on whether Israeli voters see Ms Livni's failure to form a government as a sign she lacks the experience needed for an assignment as tough as Israel's next prime minister, or as someone who refuses to compromise on matters of principle. Ms Livni's best hope is that the vast majority of secular Israelis, who are tired of seeing government policy held hostage by fanatical groups, will put their trust in her rather than opt for the failed approach of Mr Netanyahu and his hardline supporters.
Tzipi Livni gambles on peace ahead of politics
TZIPI Livni's call for a snap election after her failure to hold Israel's fractious coalition government together is a setback for the Middle East. Seemingly on the cusp of becoming Israel's second female prime minster after Golda Meir, Ms Livni refused to concede to the demands being made by the ultra-orthodox Shas party in return for political support. By the recent standards of Israeli politics, it was a courageous decision, even though it plunges the region into even more uncertainly.
Ms Livni's failure to form a government removes any chance that US President George W. Bush will leave office with his legacy enhanced by at least the outline of a peace deal with the Palestinians. And it could leave his successor with a poisoned chalice. Opinion polls favour the right-wing Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next coalition government. The election of Mr Netanyahu, who is adamantly opposed to Palestinian statehood, could delay the peace process indefinitely and lead to an increase in violence by the hardline Jewish settlers and militants among the Palestinians.
A staunch secularist who believes the best chance for the survival of the Jewish state is for Israel to get out of much of the occupied territories and the West Bank, Ms Livni was considered the best hope of advancing the peace process with the Palestinians. But instead of building on the progress being made on several fronts, including the ceasefire deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the normalisation of relations with Syria, Israeli politics is likely to remain in the doldrums until elections are called in February.
Ms Livni used her clean image to win the Kadima party primary vote after Ehud Olmert was forced to resign over a corruption scandal, but getting enough parties to come on board to form a government eluded her. Israeli commentators criticised her for failing to live up to her promise of standing for a "different kind of politics". But the blame does not rest entirely with her. Israel is burdened by a fractious political system in which small parties backed by narrow interest groups demand huge concessions as the price of offering political support. When Shas demanded an exorbitant increase in support for child welfare payments and an undertaking that an undivided Jerusalem ruled by Israel was not negotiable, Ms Livni called the party's bluff.
Much will depend on whether Israeli voters see Ms Livni's failure to form a government as a sign she lacks the experience needed for an assignment as tough as Israel's next prime minister, or as someone who refuses to compromise on matters of principle. Ms Livni's best hope is that the vast majority of secular Israelis, who are tired of seeing government policy held hostage by fanatical groups, will put their trust in her rather than opt for the failed approach of Mr Netanyahu and his hardline supporters.
Source: The Australian
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