Labor to join Israeli coalition government
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Barak strives to unite Labor after vote to join Likud gov't
There are some developments on the Israelis political front.
There is good news for Bibi Netanyahu and his coalition. The Labor Party has voted to join his budding coalition in spite of vigorous objections from left wing members of the party. In a bit of hyperbole, Labor MP Ophir Paz-Pines, embittered by his party's decision to join the Likud led coalition, ventured that "[Former prime ministers] David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and Yitzhak Rabin are turning over in their graves."
How can these founders of the Jewish State object to a show of unity between two of the county's three major political parties? By having Labor join his coalition, future Prime Minister Netanyahu gains instant credibility. His government will no longer be seen as a far right wing government, but rather it will now represent a broad coalition of Israeli political thought.
Is goes without saying the next few months will be crucial for Israel. With uncertain support from the new Obama Administration, and with outright hostility coming from many quarters in Western Europe, the new government will need all the help it can get. Having a former Labor prime minister holding a prominent position in the government (defense minister perhaps?) is crucial at this point.
A few dissidents in the Labor Party are threatening to withhold their support from the new government, but such a tactic will only marginalize them. Bibi will have the voted no matter what. His new government should be as stable as any Israeli government of late can be, and I look for the people of Israel to unite behind this government as it attempts to navigate the very difficult Middle east peace process.
I have always been a big Netanyahu fan, and these developments are good news to me. I call upon the Obama Administration to uphold the long standing bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed from the United States. As Israel goes, so goes the war on terrorism. Israeli is a strong invaluable ally of ours in the volatile Middle East. We must stand by them, and if Obama does not enthusiastically support Israel he will do so at his political peril.
There are some developments on the Israelis political front.
There is good news for Bibi Netanyahu and his coalition. The Labor Party has voted to join his budding coalition in spite of vigorous objections from left wing members of the party. In a bit of hyperbole, Labor MP Ophir Paz-Pines, embittered by his party's decision to join the Likud led coalition, ventured that "[Former prime ministers] David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and Yitzhak Rabin are turning over in their graves."
How can these founders of the Jewish State object to a show of unity between two of the county's three major political parties? By having Labor join his coalition, future Prime Minister Netanyahu gains instant credibility. His government will no longer be seen as a far right wing government, but rather it will now represent a broad coalition of Israeli political thought.
Is goes without saying the next few months will be crucial for Israel. With uncertain support from the new Obama Administration, and with outright hostility coming from many quarters in Western Europe, the new government will need all the help it can get. Having a former Labor prime minister holding a prominent position in the government (defense minister perhaps?) is crucial at this point.
A few dissidents in the Labor Party are threatening to withhold their support from the new government, but such a tactic will only marginalize them. Bibi will have the voted no matter what. His new government should be as stable as any Israeli government of late can be, and I look for the people of Israel to unite behind this government as it attempts to navigate the very difficult Middle east peace process.
I have always been a big Netanyahu fan, and these developments are good news to me. I call upon the Obama Administration to uphold the long standing bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed from the United States. As Israel goes, so goes the war on terrorism. Israeli is a strong invaluable ally of ours in the volatile Middle East. We must stand by them, and if Obama does not enthusiastically support Israel he will do so at his political peril.
