The End of Unity
Labor Party Chairman Binyamin Ben Eliezer has carried out his
threat to vote against the budget and leave the government today. Following meetings yesterday with Prime Minister Sharon and Finance Minister Silvan Shalom, Labor's Central Committee allowed party MKs to vote against the budget.
Ben Eliezer has made his rallying cry the refusal of the government to
implement an additional NIS 710 million cut from the budget allocated to
the needs of communities in Judea and Samaria. He has accompanied this
demand with the disingenuous remark that the "disadvantaged" of Israeli
society should be getting the money instead of the "settlements".
The remark is disingenuous for two reasons. First, these communities are
being hit by budget cuts in line with all other sectors of society due to
the general budget crunch that the current deep recession has caused.
Second, Ben Eliezer is demanding that the money be transferred to seniors
and students - not necessarily the economically disadvantaged.
Ever since Labor first started threatening to vote against the budget, way
back in August, those with a proper view of the issue have been claiming
that Ben Eliezer is simply trying to win the Labor leadership race on the
backs of Judea and Samaria's residents. The transparent vote mongering
represented by the latest decision makes this plain.
Seniors and students make up a good portion of Labor's voters, particularly
those most likely to support Ben Eliezer in the leadership contest. By
pandering to them, while at the same time kicking the Labor party's
favorite target, Ben Eliezer hopes to at least solidify his position, if
not gain back some of his lost support.
To be certain, there are many sectors of the Israeli population that are in
need of financial assistance. Among them there are sure to be quite a few
seniors and students. But Labor continues to refuse to accept the true
mantle of champion of the downtrodden. Nowhere in their demands does there
appear any mention of development towns, single parents, or the unemployed.
Nowhere is any thought given to withholding money from the Palestinians
and transferring that to the people most harshly affected by the economic
downturn that has resulted in part from their violent offensive against Oslo.
A government of national unity means more than just the unholy alliance of
political foes in charting a course for the nation. It means that the
policies put forth by such a government should be for the good of the whole
nation, and not just for narrow sectarian interests. It is for that reason that
special interest parties such as Shinui and the Arab parties were never a
part of this government. Their entire political existence depends on what
they stand against.
The Arabs stand against the realization of the Zionist dream in Israel.
Their ten seats are held by six different factions as politically diverse
as possible. They generally vote as a bloc due to their one unifying
factor - their opposition to a Jewish Israel.
Shinui has six members in the Knesset, including one from a now defunct
right-wing party, one refugee from the extreme leftist Meretz party, one
Russian immigrant, and one hard centrist. Their only unifying issue is
their hatred for anything remotely resembling the Jewish religion.
Labor now appears set to join this group of narrow sectarian parties. They
are led by a defense minister who has prolonged the military crisis by
preventing the military from finishing the job they are meant to do. Now,
with continued Arab terrorism and an imminent attack on Iraq at the top of the Defense portfolio agenda, Ben-Eliezer is resigning from the government rather fulfill his public duty. Similarly, Israel?s Labor foreign minister cannot bring himself to plead Israel's case to the world and finds himself more often than not agreeing
with our adversaries. The two challengers for the Labor Party leadership openly pine for a return to the national suicide that was the Oslo Accords.
Internal party politics has never been totally subordinated by these people
to the true interests of the nation. Now, though, internal party politics has become more important to these people than the militarily and economically secure future of the nation. They are, to a man, prepared to sacrifice the needs of the national good on the altar of special interest pandering. For this reason, the Labor party
will lose support in next year's election, regardless who its leader is and
regardless who its opponent is.
Ariel Sharon has done a masterful job of keeping the Labor party under his
finger for the past two years. During that time, he has prevented them
from gaining any support following Barak's loss, and has even caused them
to lose more support. From within the government, Labor has been unable to
formulate their own policies, even as they hamstring Sharon from carrying
out his. The result will be an electoral devastation for Labor, with the
fewest seats in party history.
But now, Sharon can let go. Labor has placed itself as a narrow-interest
party at a time when the people of the nation are demanding national
answers. Labor will continue to disintegrate even without Sharon's help
now.
The time has come for the Labor party to leave the government of national
unity. The nation's thirst for unity is now better served without Labor in
the government. Sharon's budget will pass even without them, at which time
he can call an early election that will not allow Labor enough time to
regroup. A strong right-wing government will then be allowed to finish
this war and put the country back on the road to economic prosperity
without having to worry about Labor's childish bickering.
Copyright 2002, all rights reserved. Yehuda Poch is a journalist living in
Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print formats by permission only.
Yehuda can be reached at butrfly@actcom.co.il.
Labor Party Chairman Binyamin Ben Eliezer has carried out his
threat to vote against the budget and leave the government today. Following meetings yesterday with Prime Minister Sharon and Finance Minister Silvan Shalom, Labor's Central Committee allowed party MKs to vote against the budget.
Ben Eliezer has made his rallying cry the refusal of the government to
implement an additional NIS 710 million cut from the budget allocated to
the needs of communities in Judea and Samaria. He has accompanied this
demand with the disingenuous remark that the "disadvantaged" of Israeli
society should be getting the money instead of the "settlements".
The remark is disingenuous for two reasons. First, these communities are
being hit by budget cuts in line with all other sectors of society due to
the general budget crunch that the current deep recession has caused.
Second, Ben Eliezer is demanding that the money be transferred to seniors
and students - not necessarily the economically disadvantaged.
Ever since Labor first started threatening to vote against the budget, way
back in August, those with a proper view of the issue have been claiming
that Ben Eliezer is simply trying to win the Labor leadership race on the
backs of Judea and Samaria's residents. The transparent vote mongering
represented by the latest decision makes this plain.
Seniors and students make up a good portion of Labor's voters, particularly
those most likely to support Ben Eliezer in the leadership contest. By
pandering to them, while at the same time kicking the Labor party's
favorite target, Ben Eliezer hopes to at least solidify his position, if
not gain back some of his lost support.
To be certain, there are many sectors of the Israeli population that are in
need of financial assistance. Among them there are sure to be quite a few
seniors and students. But Labor continues to refuse to accept the true
mantle of champion of the downtrodden. Nowhere in their demands does there
appear any mention of development towns, single parents, or the unemployed.
Nowhere is any thought given to withholding money from the Palestinians
and transferring that to the people most harshly affected by the economic
downturn that has resulted in part from their violent offensive against Oslo.
A government of national unity means more than just the unholy alliance of
political foes in charting a course for the nation. It means that the
policies put forth by such a government should be for the good of the whole
nation, and not just for narrow sectarian interests. It is for that reason that
special interest parties such as Shinui and the Arab parties were never a
part of this government. Their entire political existence depends on what
they stand against.
The Arabs stand against the realization of the Zionist dream in Israel.
Their ten seats are held by six different factions as politically diverse
as possible. They generally vote as a bloc due to their one unifying
factor - their opposition to a Jewish Israel.
Shinui has six members in the Knesset, including one from a now defunct
right-wing party, one refugee from the extreme leftist Meretz party, one
Russian immigrant, and one hard centrist. Their only unifying issue is
their hatred for anything remotely resembling the Jewish religion.
Labor now appears set to join this group of narrow sectarian parties. They
are led by a defense minister who has prolonged the military crisis by
preventing the military from finishing the job they are meant to do. Now,
with continued Arab terrorism and an imminent attack on Iraq at the top of the Defense portfolio agenda, Ben-Eliezer is resigning from the government rather fulfill his public duty. Similarly, Israel?s Labor foreign minister cannot bring himself to plead Israel's case to the world and finds himself more often than not agreeing
with our adversaries. The two challengers for the Labor Party leadership openly pine for a return to the national suicide that was the Oslo Accords.
Internal party politics has never been totally subordinated by these people
to the true interests of the nation. Now, though, internal party politics has become more important to these people than the militarily and economically secure future of the nation. They are, to a man, prepared to sacrifice the needs of the national good on the altar of special interest pandering. For this reason, the Labor party
will lose support in next year's election, regardless who its leader is and
regardless who its opponent is.
Ariel Sharon has done a masterful job of keeping the Labor party under his
finger for the past two years. During that time, he has prevented them
from gaining any support following Barak's loss, and has even caused them
to lose more support. From within the government, Labor has been unable to
formulate their own policies, even as they hamstring Sharon from carrying
out his. The result will be an electoral devastation for Labor, with the
fewest seats in party history.
But now, Sharon can let go. Labor has placed itself as a narrow-interest
party at a time when the people of the nation are demanding national
answers. Labor will continue to disintegrate even without Sharon's help
now.
The time has come for the Labor party to leave the government of national
unity. The nation's thirst for unity is now better served without Labor in
the government. Sharon's budget will pass even without them, at which time
he can call an early election that will not allow Labor enough time to
regroup. A strong right-wing government will then be allowed to finish
this war and put the country back on the road to economic prosperity
without having to worry about Labor's childish bickering.
Copyright 2002, all rights reserved. Yehuda Poch is a journalist living in
Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print formats by permission only.
Yehuda can be reached at butrfly@actcom.co.il.