Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak in a beard in a new Israeli political party called the Democrats won't fool anyone. * * * Saw the Doctor today. He listened to my lungs and said that they were clear. Hurray! He also said that to continue my recovery from pneumonia I've got to get off my butt and start walking. I fully intend to do so. But best intentions remain just intentions. I've got to force myself. If YOU intended to support Dry Bones and the LSW (Long Suffering Wife) do you have what it takes to force yourself to get off YOUR butt and take action? If so, click on https://drybonesproject.com/365.

the Israeli Government

...and the joke's on us!
They've called an election!

Splitsville

The Kadima opposition party is upset.
According to the Jerusalem Post:

Livni: Barak's split from Labor 'dirtiest act in history'
"After defense minister announces creation of new faction, Kadima leader says Barak feared taking responsibility, making decisions in government.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak's split from the Labor Party is "the dirtiest act" in history, opposition leader Tzipi Livni of Kadima told Army Radio on Tuesday.

Livni criticized Barak's comments on Monday justifying his resignation from Labor, saying: "For Barak to call whoever wants peace post-Zionist is unheard of." -more

And the Labor party that Barak left is not happy either.
According to Ynet:

Barak's move enrages Arab Labor members
" Party members from Arab sector consider leaving following defense minister's decision to quit: 'This is the biggest blow to Left in modern Israeli history'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak's decision to quit Labor has Arab party members fuming. "This is the greatest shock to the Israeli Left in the State of Israel's modern history," said Ar'ara resident Malcham Malcham, who served as an advisor on Arab Affairs to former Minister Ophir Pines-Paz.

"This move has direct implications on the Arab sector. It endangers democracy and bolsters the Israeli Right," he said." -more

Israeli Demonstrations (1999)

Today's Golden Oldie is from December 1999. Ten years ago this month.

Question: What should the citizens of a democracy do when their government ignores the will of the people?

Answer 1: When the government willingly defies the will of the people, the citizens should demonstrate against the government and its policies.

Answer 2: When, the government ignores the will of the people because of outside pressures, the citizens should demonstrate against the government and its policies in order to support it.

As it was in 1999 with the Golan Heights issue, so it is now in 2009, with the Obama Settlement Freeze. It's the dilemma of democracy in a small and beleaguered country.

Prisoner Release (1999)

Today's Golden Oldie is from September 1999.

Back in 1999, Israel's government was planning to release convicted terrorists in a "deal". Back then they told us that they were working "quietly" for the release of Jonathan Pollard.

Ten years have gone by. Now, in 2009, another Israeli government is planning to release convicted terrorists in a "deal". And Jonathan Pollard is still in prison.

Israeli Elections

Israel is eight days away from Knesset elections. Our Main Stream Media, trying to ape their American counterparts, is covering it like a Presidential campaign, i.e. as a race for Prime Minister.

We, the Israeli electorate, however, will not be voting for Prime Minister ...We will vote for the political party of our choosing ...and there are many parties from which to choose.

...but the Media, especially our Television News shows insist on seeing it as a race between individuals: Tzipi Livni (Kadima Party), Ehud Barak (Labor Party), and Bibi Netanyahu (Likud Party). The sudden rise in popularity of Avigdor Lieberman (Israel Beiteinu Party) has thrown our media mavens into a tizzy ...up until now they've been demonizing Netanyahu as the right wing threat and here comes Lieberman, to the right of Bibi! Yikes!!

Israeli Defense Policy

Okay, so we'll have to pay "a difficult price".

But the "difficult price" that Ehud Barak wants us to pay is the undermining of Israel's legal system by releasing convicts as a political act.

It's a price that nobody talks about, but it eats away at our rule of law, our morale, and the social contract that binds us together as a nation.

What we need is a return to the Israel of the Six-Day War and Entebbe. We need leadership that offers creative, brave, intelligent answers and strategies.

Israel needs leadership that is smarter than what we've got.
Do you think we'll get it?

Mubarak's Choice

Seems to me that Egypt's secular government is trapped. Meanwhile:

"SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) — Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak held talks in Egypt on Wednesday with President Hosni Mubarak and top security officials amid renewed tensions over alleged arms smuggling into Gaza.

Barak was in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for his first meeting with Mubarak since assuming the defence portfolio in June. He held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and was also due to meet intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

Barak was again to raise Israel's demand that Egypt crack down on alleged arms smuggling from the Sinai desert into the Gaza Strip, the impoverished Palestinian territory that has been controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas since June." -more

So what do YOU think should be done? By Israel? By America?

Nu?

It's Showtime!

Years ago I was having a bad day (deadlines and money pressure) and decided, on the spur of the moment, to take in a movie. At that time there was this little theater off of Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. The movie posters showed what was obviously a fun-filled, light-weight, all singing, all dancing, piece of fluff. Possibly a revival of some old broadway musical. The name of the movie was "All That Jazz"... and as you probably know, it turned out to be anything but fun-filled and light-weight.

The film tells the story of a brilliant but exhausted director/choreographer who has to pump himself up each morning to face the challenges of yet another new day. Each morning the weary "song and dance man" stares at himself in the mirror and motivates himself to do the impossible yet one more time with the announcement that "It's Showtime!"

* * * What's happening now in Israel is that, as the Summer of 2007 approaches, we're pulling ourselves together, looking into the mirror, and getting ready to do our stuff by telling ourselves that, once again, "It's Showtime!"

It's Showtime!

Study Buddies

I drew our incompetent leadership as kids who are failing their make-up test. The truth is that neither Prime Minister Olmert nor our bumbling Defense Minister Peretz had the experience to handle the positions they now hold. What to do about the ongoing war being waged against us from Gaza and currently focused on the Negev city of Sderot seems to have stumped them.

Today, in Israel, the Labor Party is holding primary elections to choose a new Party Chairman. There are five candidates: Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, MKs Ami Ayalon and Ophir Pines-Paz. Barak is running on the basis of being the only one with the experience to lead the country in time of war. As the news headline on YNet puts it: "Barak: I'd lead Israel best in war"