Bibi Netanyahu’s government.

On September 17’th 2008 Tzipi Livni won the Kadima leadership election. Ehud Olmert resigned as Prime Minister and Livni got six weeks to form a coalition. The election of February 10’th 2009 was the result of her not succeeding in doing so.
The election gave Kadima 28 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, Likud got 27, Yisrael Beiteinu got 15, the Labor Party got 13, Shas got 11 and the rest went to smaller parties.
As Livni could not form a government the “ball” was thrown to Bibi Netanyahu who started working on various options. He has had talks with both Livni, Lieberman and Barak and the journalists have not had much more than confusion to share with the public….. It has been a “stormy kind of quiet”.
From the “outside” it looks as if Netanyahu is trying to get the best qualified person in the various minister positions without considering the parties they represent. This has caused fear within the parties as they are afraid of loosing power as “units”.
Kadima was established by people who left both the Likud and the Labor Parties. For them to join forces with Likud seems threatening. It is as if they are going through an identity crisis….
The Labor Party has had an internal storm since Netanyahu announced that he would like to see Ehud Barak as Minister of Defense. The internal election on March 26’th resulted in 680 votes for joining Netanyahu’s coalition and 507 against. Barak is now striving to keep the Labor Party united and asks his Party-fellows to respect the result of the vote.

It is not hard to understand why Bibi consider Barak to be the best man for the job;
Ehud Barak is one of these people who just “ has it all”. He was born and raised in a kibbutz and enlisted in the army at age 17. He led a commander unit in the 1967 war and a tank battalion in the Sinai in 1973 and was soon noted for his exceptional bravery and coolness under fire by his superiors.
Barak led Israel’s anti-terrorist unit for many years and was involved in the planning of the Entebbe raid and hostage rescue mission which has entered history as the “most audacious and perfectly executed special force operation ever”. ( Bibi Netanyahu’s brother, Yonatan Netanyahu, ended his life leading this operation. )
Barak holds an under graduate degree in Physics and Mathematics and a masters degree in Economic Engineering Systems besides being a gifted pianist and linguist.
He has served as head of Israel’s Intelligence and Central Command, was appointed army Chief of Staff and stepped down to serve various governments as Interior Minister, Foreign Minister and Prime Minister.
Barak is Israel’s most decorated soldier. He has seen Israel’s security situation from every possible angle. It is therefore interesting to note that he was striving to engage the Palestinian leaders in a productive dialogue in the mid 1990’s, that he ended 17 years of Israeli occupation in Southern Lebanon and that he offered Palestinian prime minister Yassir Arafat to divide Jerusalem and to withdraw from various areas in Judea and Samaria. ( The Palestinians refused and “answered” with the Second Intifada in 2000)

For the Labor Party to join the coalition is seen by many as a “healthy” move as the government otherwise would be represented by too many right wing politicians.
Netanyahu will present his coalition to the President of Israel by the end of the month.

Elin Elkouby