When Binyamin Netanyahu was elected head of the Likud Party
eight years ago, he cheerfully announced that the days of
political "camps" had come to an end. No longer would there
be a Sharon camp, a Shamir camp and a David Levy camp;
instead there would be just one, big camp called the Likud.
This proclamation stood up to the test of time until
recently, but now it is Netanyahu himself who is bringing
political camps back to the Likud. The Netanyahu camp versus
the Sharon camp.
At a meeting of the Likud Central Committee last week, the
Netanyahu camp came across as the winner. While this may be
true, Sharon's handlers were unimpressed. Sharon is a
seasoned politician and he knows that this meeting means
very little. The moment of truth has yet to arrive, and the
wheel could revolve several times by then.
When Sharon was selected to head the Likud, no one gave him
even hundred-to-one odds of reaching the prime minister's
office. Netanyahu would show up at the last minute, and
would supplant him as head of the Likud, the pundits
maintained, and even if not, they said, he would be unable
to defeat Barak in the general elections. But showing his
characteristic political doggedness, Sharon would not
concede and would not be deterred--and the rest is history.
Netanyahu withdrew at the last minute and Sharon defeated
Barak by the widest margin ever recorded in the annals of
the State of Israel.
Sharon has kept up the fight. Not only is he contesting
Netanyahu's camp, but he is also dealing with a wave of
resignations in his bureau, starting with the managing
director of the Prime Minister's Office, Rafi Peled, and
continuing with communications advisor, Odelia Carmon,
followed by economic advisor Gabi Fischman, and public
relations department head Yossi Gal, last week. These
resignations are a sting to Sharon, but he will try to deal
with them calmly, as only an experienced veteran knows how.
"If people occasionally have to be replaced or if someone
wants to resign, then he resigns. What's wrong with that?"
Sharon replied.
Unlike the resignations during Barak's or Netanyahu's term,
which were far more vociferous and sometimes were even
accompanied by abusive remarks and mudslinging, all of the
resignations from Sharon's office have gone almost unheard.
Certain individuals simply failed to adapt to the job,
couldn't find their place and packed up and left. When the
words "failed to adapt" are used in reference to Sharon's
office, it means they didn't see eye-to-eye with Omri Sharon
and Office Manager Uri Shani, two people who oversee
everything that gets done in the Prime Minister's Office.
They are the real bosses there.
Netanyahu has his own problems to deal with as well. He
appears to be very well positioned within the Likud, and if
party elections were held today he would win by a large
majority, but the primaries are still a long way off. It's
hard to stay at the top for such a long period of time.
Netanyahu peaked too early--now his task is to hold onto the
lead.
Unfortunately this is not dependent on him. Netanyahu has no
easy way of initiating anything. He does not hold any
official post and all of his activities are dictated by the
government's moves. As long as Sharon continues with his
current policies, Netanyahu might be able to maintain a
strong position. But if Sharon starts to hand out posts to
Likud Central Committee members, as they expect him to do,
and if Sharon makes a sharp turn to the Right, cutting
himself off from Peres and the unity government, the power
dynamics between the two Likud candidates could definitely
change. Thus Netanyahu's future, it seems, depends on
Sharon.
On the Eve of the Knesset Recess
Last week the Knesset closed for its summer recess following
its three-month summer session. This session was primarily
characterized by tough opposition between Arab and Jewish
MKs, the most notable incidents being Azmi Bishara's trip to
Syria and his problematic speech there and the skirmish
between Ahmad Tibi and Mafdal activist Yehuda Levinger.
One memorable incident never before seen in the Knesset was
the cream pie thrown in the face of Communications Minister
Reuven Rivlin. And another Knesset first: a participant in a
committee meeting collapsed and passed away a short time
later. The unfortunate was Professor Glick z'l, who
had come to warn the committee of the danger of collapse
residential buildings face in an earthquake.
Knesset Chairman Avraham Burg is not expected to continue in
his post during the winter session. According to all of the
predictions he will be elected Labor Party chairman and
candidate for prime minister at the primaries scheduled to
take place in another six weeks. As a party head trying to
offer an alternative and to lead the party to victory in the
elections, he cannot allow himself to occupy the official
seat of Knesset chairman.
Burg said recently that he was unimpressed by the
opposition's delight in the occasional blows it strikes
against the coalition. "The more the coalition expands, the
weaker it gets. This is a fact that has been proven in the
past as well, while other governments were in power.
Everyone relies on someone else to come and vote."
Nevertheless, he maintains that this is a relatively stable
coalition, and even if it does sometimes stumble and fall
due to absences, during moments of truth no one questions
its ability to rally a majority.
The Knesset Chairman also discussed a Yediot Achronot
investigation against him published over recent weeks,
saying the findings "were unfounded and distort the truth."
Burg is certain that he runs the Knesset honestly, fairly
and with integrity, and it should be noted that none of the
Knesset reporters dispute this claim.
Shochat Considers Resignation
Beige Shochat, who has twice served as finance minister and
once as Finance Committee Chairman and who is considered the
Labor Party's leading figure in the area of economics, is
thinking of resigning from the Knesset and from politics. To
put it simply, he's had enough.
This explanation is accurate on a certain level, but his
thoughts of resignations stem from his very unstable
political situation as well. Several months ago, when
Sharon's unity government was set up, Shochat announced that
he was holding a press conference. Before the press
conference was held, rumors that he intended to announce his
retirement from political life began to circulate. At the
time such announcements were in fashion in the Labor Party.
Uzi Baram resigned, Barak resigned, Eli Goldschmidt resigned
and people had a feeling Shochat would follow in their
footsteps.
But Shochat did not resign. At the press conference he just
announced that he did not intend to run in the Central
Committee of the Labor Party for a ministerial post in the
unity government. The reasons he gave were many, but the
main reason, which he did not mention, was that he simply
did not have a chance of getting elected in the Labor
party.
Shochat is considered a somber figure in the political
establishment. Although he was relatively successful in his
role as finance minister and before that as mayor of Arad,
his success did not earn him much in terms of political
returns. In the Labor Party primaries held before the 1999
elections, Shochat came in well down the list, and even this
mediocre placing was thanks to his reputation as a faithful
member of the Barak camp and the assistance he received from
Barak supporters.
His close association with Barak and his loyalty to him also
helped him to earn the post of finance minister following
Barak's victory. According to the results of the primaries,
Shochat did not deserve the job of finance minister, and
barely qualified to serve as a minister at all.
As the contest for ministerial posts in Sharon government
approached, and without the backing of figures like Barak or
Rabin, Shochat realized that he had no chance in the center.
At the most he would have reached the status of minister
without portfolio. For a politician of his stature who has
twice served as finance minister, that would be both
inappropriate and dull.
Shochat now remains a rank-and-file MK, but without a post
he has simply disappeared. Shochat's presence is not felt in
the Knesset and he does not take an active role in it. For
someone who was used to dynamic, high-ranking positions for
many years, it is no easy matter to sit among run-of-the-
mill MKs, without even serving as chairman of a minor
committee.
In his heart Shochat accepts the fact that he has no chance
of making a good showing in the upcoming primaries, and that
his party's leadership will be taken up by the younger
politicians who have superseded him. This situation holds
little appeal for him, which is the real reason why he is
considering retirement. Shochat realizes that his political
career has reached an end, and the time has come to seek out
other pastures.
