Looking forward to Mofaz

[NewsGuy]

Shaul Mofaz, one of Israel's greatest Generals is set to return the limelight as Defense Minister, replacing wishy-washy "Fuad" Ben-Eliezer who bolted from Israel's unity government claiming that he had become the "punching bag" of his own party.

Mofaz has several advantages, and will hopefully usher in a new era of determination to win the war against Palestinian terrorism. Mofaz is a realist. In contrast to Peres and Ben-Eliezer, he has always understood that there is no compromise to be made with Islamic terrorists sworn to destroy Israel. Mofaz believes that it is a mistake to leave the Father of Modern Terrorism, Yasser Arafat, at the helm of the Palestinian terror machine.

Mofaz determined that Arafat must be removed and conveyed this assessment repeatedly to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to the former Minister of Defense. But Fuad opposed the advice of former IDF Chief of Staff. Indeed, Ben-Eliezer and Peres provided personal protection to Arafat, while the Palestinian Jihad terrorist picked up the pace of murdering Jews. Now Mofaz is poised to assume the role of Defense Minister, and Arafat's days may be numbered, vastly increasing the chances of saving the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis.

Another advantage is that Mofaz is the one who selected Israel's current IDF Chief of Staff, Moshe Ayalon, who was Mofaz' IDF protégé for many years. Their security outlook is very similar and they are very much in line with Sharon's views, as well.

Finally Israel will benefit from a team of like minded leaders, dedicated to bringing about a new Mideast, free of Palestinian and Islamic terror. The tension and hesitation in Sharon's cabinet caused by the Labour's political wrangling and appeasement of the radical Left will finally be over.

As a concerned Arafat himself said today "I expect an escalation against us, especially if we're talking about such a new government."

In other words, progress is on its way.

[L@mplighterM]

Do the various members of the Knesset always vote along party lines or do they sometimes cross over(vote against party lines)?

If I understand the situation correctly the Labor Party left the coalition with the Likud Party but another coalition was formed making it enough to form a narrow government with Sharon at the helm.

I take it that the appointment of Binyamin Ben-Eliezer(former Minister of Defense)might have been a sort of pre condition for the Labor Party agreeing to form the previous government.

If General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz appointment would have been a better choice to begin with why didn’t Sharon try to forge a deal with the other political parties earlier on (perhaps he did). It would appear that it would have been in the interest of Israelis based on what you say

[ibrodsky]

It is reported that Netanyahu will be offered Peres' job.

He will be a far superior FM. However, I'm a bit concerned that this could tie his hands re: running for PM.

[L@mplighterM]

Snip Norwegian:

Sharon vil ha ny regjering innen ti dager

Dersom Israels statsminister Ariel Sharon ikke klarer å sette sammen en ny regjering innen ti dager, kommer han til å skrive ut nyvalg, ifølge et medlem av den israelske regjeringen.

http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/ur...ticleID=428852


If things don’t go smoothly in the new Israeli coalition Sharon will set the date for a new election in 10 days.

[Mediocrates]

Originally posted by ibrodsky
It is reported that Netanyahu will be offered Peres' job.

He will be a far superior FM. However, I'm a bit concerned that this could tie his hands re: running for PM.

Probably not. that job may go to Sharansky. Bibi wouldn't take 2nd fiddle.

[elke]

You know, Scharansky IMO would be a terrific choice!

[ibrodsky]

The one big advantage to Netanyahu: he is the best PR guy Israel has. He spoke here a couple of weeks ago before a few thousand people and had everyone -- liberals and conservatives, Jews and Christians -- on his side by the time he was done.

Scharansky has the right ideas -- and credibility in Europe, I would think. I've never actually heard him speak... how good is his English?

[tandem]

Originally posted by ibrodsky
It is reported that Netanyahu will be offered Peres' job.

He will be a far superior FM. However, I'm a bit concerned that this could tie his hands re: running for PM.

it is highly unlikely that netanyahu will accept the foreign minister position. sharon also offered him the position of finance minister as an alternative, but it looks like netanyahu will refuse this as well. apparently he is determined to rival sharon for the leadership of the likud

[Mediocrates]

Semi-thick Russian accent but very good English. Very direct, well organized. Physicist. Not impassioned but can make a very strong case. Extrermely clear - focuses on a few criticial ideas and not the grand sweep.

[Miriam]

Originally posted by Mediocrates
Semi-thick Russian accent but very good English. Very direct, well organized. Physicist. Not impassioned but can make a very strong case. Extrermely clear - focuses on a few criticial ideas and not the grand sweep.

A relief. I've never heard him speak English but people who did tell me it's dreadful. I do wish, however, the job would go to a professional diplomat, if there is such a thing in Israel: the Israeli diplomatic corps sure needs a shake-up! (Unless, of course, theyhave given up on Europe and are sending us their worst dudes )

[Miriam]

Originally posted by ibrodsky

Scharansky has the right ideas -- and credibility in Europe, I would think.

I'm not sure on this, not anymore. The Cold War is a thing long past on the European time scala, alliances of that time are worth nothing. The few recent reports on Sharansky I've read in the media are rather ironic, on the line of: look, he talks about democracy but he isn't against the settlements, so is he right- or left-wing?

He seems to have a lot of power, which may be a healty contrast to Peres who literally fawned on everyone who was somehow against Likud...

[MiniMizer]

You people should be more aware of the fact that it really doesn't matter who the Defense Minister is, because every step Israel takes, very much depends on the mood of GWB.
Even if Sharon really really really really wants Arafat out and if Mofaz agrees and there is no opposition, they still can't do it, because that would lead to a lot of pressure from The White House, Israel's biggest sponsor.

[elke]

Yes, I've read similar descriptions of him - as "hardline", "hawkish", etc. However, I think that with the right publicity of his history - which will be dug out again, and it's our job to make its full impact known - his credibility and impact should be significant.

[Miriam]

Originally posted by MiniMizer
You people should be more aware of the fact that it really doesn't matter who the Defense Minister is, because every step Israel takes, very much depends on the mood of GWB.
Even if Sharon really really really really wants Arafat out and if Mofaz agrees and there is no opposition, they still can't do it, because that would lead to a lot of pressure from The White House, Israel's biggest sponsor.

Aren't you exaggerating the degree of outside influence? I've heard the same said many times about Europe: "the Europeans won't let us" - and could only reply that there is little "Europeans" can do this way or other. Agreed, the US actually do smth. for Israel, therefore they have smth. to withdraw, but I have a hunch that GWB has other concerns as well.

[MiniMizer]

Correct, and in order to protect his own concerns (Iraq) he must strive for as much stability as possible in Israel, so doing anything that might destabilize the situation even further (like expelling Arafat) will be severely criticized by him, and as you already know, Israel can't take American pressure for long...