NewsGuy
08-13-2002, 02:05 PM
What the Palestinian Terror Authority and the radical Leftists could not do, looks like has been accomplished by mundane budget disputes. The government of Israel once again finds itself on shaky ground and heading for early elections due to infighting and selfishness.
With the Israeli economy battered by the global technology recession, coupled with the huge cash drain caused by the ongoing Palestinian war on Israel, many budgetary cuts have been necessitated.
Social programs have been particularly hard-hit at a time when unemployment is estimated to be as high as 25% by some accounts.
Enter Shas and Labour, both tugging at the strings of Israel's national budget from different directions. Unless they are paid off handsomely, they say they will bring down the government and force early elections.
It's not really a matter of anyone disagreeing with the need to disburse more money to Israel's needy. However, the simple fact that many Israelis have yet to fully understand, is that there is just not enough tax revenue to conduct business as usual. And so the idiotic infighting continues, even at the expense of forcing a change of government (and a huge national distraction) in a time of war.
Israel's parliamentary system is one of the country's most dangerous weaknesses. It is difficult enough for a government to accomplish much of anything in 4 years, and nearly impossible with even less time alloted.
But the outcome may be one unintended by the parties who are fomenting the trouble. Shas has dropped in popularity in the past several years, with one of its leaders, Ovadiah Yosef, recognized as a lunatic, and its other pillar, Ariyeh Deri just released from jail for bribery and fraud.
Similarly, Labour is in a state of flux, as weak as it has ever been as its main claims to fame like Oslo and the new spirit of Israeli liberalism both undermined and exposed as failures by the Palestinian war of terrorism.
On the other hand, Likud has recently run a record-breaking membership drive, led by Sharon and Netanyahu, one of whom or both may be the biggest winners of an early election, if there is indeed such a thing as a winner altogether in this type of situation.
In any event, both parties threatening to cause an early election might be the ones harmed most, second only to the general Israeli public.
With the Israeli economy battered by the global technology recession, coupled with the huge cash drain caused by the ongoing Palestinian war on Israel, many budgetary cuts have been necessitated.
Social programs have been particularly hard-hit at a time when unemployment is estimated to be as high as 25% by some accounts.
Enter Shas and Labour, both tugging at the strings of Israel's national budget from different directions. Unless they are paid off handsomely, they say they will bring down the government and force early elections.
It's not really a matter of anyone disagreeing with the need to disburse more money to Israel's needy. However, the simple fact that many Israelis have yet to fully understand, is that there is just not enough tax revenue to conduct business as usual. And so the idiotic infighting continues, even at the expense of forcing a change of government (and a huge national distraction) in a time of war.
Israel's parliamentary system is one of the country's most dangerous weaknesses. It is difficult enough for a government to accomplish much of anything in 4 years, and nearly impossible with even less time alloted.
But the outcome may be one unintended by the parties who are fomenting the trouble. Shas has dropped in popularity in the past several years, with one of its leaders, Ovadiah Yosef, recognized as a lunatic, and its other pillar, Ariyeh Deri just released from jail for bribery and fraud.
Similarly, Labour is in a state of flux, as weak as it has ever been as its main claims to fame like Oslo and the new spirit of Israeli liberalism both undermined and exposed as failures by the Palestinian war of terrorism.
On the other hand, Likud has recently run a record-breaking membership drive, led by Sharon and Netanyahu, one of whom or both may be the biggest winners of an early election, if there is indeed such a thing as a winner altogether in this type of situation.
In any event, both parties threatening to cause an early election might be the ones harmed most, second only to the general Israeli public.