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Tzipi Livni getting closer to governing Israel? Olmert not running
Ehud Olmert has decided not to run for the leadership of his centrist Kadima Party.
The Israeli prime minister was expected to make the annoucement during a hastily organized speech at 8 p.m. Israel time (1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time).
The Prime Minister’s Office did not give details of the speech, but Israeli media are reporting that Olmert will announce he is not running in primaries for the leadership of Kadima. Olmert has been the subject of a number of corruption investigations. Some of his government colleagues have called on him to step down, saying the scandals are impeding peace talks with the Palestinians and Syria.
Omert’s decision is expected to turn the spotlight on Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the second-ranking member of the party.
Livni was the subject of a lengthy New York Times Magazine profile almost exactly a year ago. I’d urge people who are following the Middle East to read it. Now.
6 Responses to “Tzipi Livni getting closer to governing Israel? Olmert not running”
[...] Tzipi Livni getting closer to governing Israel? Olmert not runningThe Israeli prime minister was expected to make the annoucement during a hastily organized speech at 8 pm Israel time (1 pm Eastern Standard Time). The Prime Minister’s Office did not give details of the speech, but Israeli media are … [...]
Livni as well as Olmert and the rest of their party have frequently been criticized.
But not as much as Olmert!
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-35729…
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-35755…
And no, we don't need to change our system of government to have a no-confidence vote coupled with dissolution of Congress and new elections, though that might be interesting to consider, just because there is dissatisfaction currently on a large scale with Bush and the Republicans. (The Dems in Congress are rated low as well.)
Well “their” party isn't exactly a long established entity, and I lived through the 1984-85 election cycle there that saw no majority and the coalition gov't that brought in Peres and Shamir. I still have my copy of the ballot sheet that we used to keep track of the delegate division. It was nuts. I can't imagine what might happen in the US if we tried it – but then again…
“but then again…”
If we did have a no-confidence vote for the Executive and dissolution of Congress, Bush would already be gone, of course. And even with low-rated Dems they would still retake Congress in new elections any time between 2006 and now.
I believe that's more relevent than any consideration of additional changes such as to a parliamentary system or other innumerable changes that could be made to the existing system. A no-confidence vote and dissolution of Congress technically at any time, in practice not happening at whim, would be more difficult possibly for voters to handle, but in the case of current dissatisfaction with the GOP and Bush would arguably be an improvement, not having to wait until November for change (pun intended).
I don't know – but perception-wise, when I think of no confidence votes, no offense to how much I love Italians and the country itself, but I always think about how often it used to seem that we would hear about their gov't dissolving. The perception of no stabiiity seems like a danger to a country our size.
Well there goes the peace process, if one was even alive under Olmert. I've met Livni a couple of times and heard at least a half dozen of her speeches. She comes across as one tough lady – not as brusque as Gilda Mier (whom I have also met – the advantage of being an old fart).
The problem I have is Livni has never moved far from her Likud roots. I can guarantee that she has NEVER told her friend Rice the same things she has told West Bank settlers in shul talks. Even after Annapolis she has said Israel will never give up the Jordan Valley and the municipal boundries of bothe Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim are inviolate.
For those of you who do not understand, when Bush said Israel could keep the major settlements Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim are considered major (combined population of 50,000). The problem is those settlements presently occupy only about 6500 dunams of land while the two settlements municipal boundries are roughly 61,000 dunams and stretch all the way to the jordan Valley making a continguous Palestinian state impossible.
This would leave the West Bank Palestinian state in 3 separate pieces. While Livni has not used the word “Palestinian reservations” I've heard Kadima cabinet minister Ze'ev Boim use that term several times. Welcome to the real world.