Who says Ariel Sharon is the prime minister? And if he is,
certainly he is not the only prime minister. He has a partner
and his partner has seniority. The partner's name is Omri
Sharon, who just so happens to be Ariel Sharon's son.
The distribution of responsibility between the two prime
ministers is as follows: Ariel handles policy and security
and perhaps a bit of economics—when Netanyahu lets him.
He formulates the Disengagement Plan and communicates with
Abu Mazen and the Americans; in short, he takes care of the
less important affairs. Meanwhile Omri handles the truly
important matters in the State of Israel, primarily
appointments and government companies. Al piv yishak kol
dovor.
Having friends in high places has always been more important
in the State of Israel than qualifications or ability. Yet
the Prime Ministers Sharon have honed this rule to
perfection. They reduced the need for qualifications to a
bare minimum. Today the only real requirement is to do the
Sharon family's bidding. Even if it sometimes means going
against your conscience and the values you were raised on.
"Prime Minister" Omri Sharon, in keeping with his post, has
been involved in almost every appointment of the past two
years. From designate IDF Chief of Command Dan Chalutz to
Police Chief Moshe Karadi to the lowest coffee server at the
most remote religious council.
As far as Prime Minister Omri Sharon is concerned, every job
and every post is an opportunity for political wheeling and
dealing—even appointments for crucial, highly sensitive
posts. Anybody with the slightest suspicion of belonging to
another camp might as well kiss the appointment good-bye.
Just minutes after the state budget was passed in the Knesset
in its second and third readings and only two days after the
referendum bill was defeated, the two Prime Ministers Sharon
tried to reward almost all of the supporters who had helped
them in these critical votes by appointing them ministers or
deputy ministers. Lacking the patience and wisdom to wait
even a week or two they wanted to pay right away, in cash, so
to speak, by appointing them as Cabinet ministers.
Much has been said about these attempted paybacks, but
perhaps Knesset Chairman Reuven Rivlin, one of the Knesset's
most experienced politicians, put the matter most succinctly:
"I thought I had seen it all in Israeli politics and that I
understand everything and every move. But I discovered I
understand nothing and apparently have yet to see
anything."
The two Sharons do not recognize any limit to their power.
Anything goes. They don't stop at red lights, roadblocks or
police sirens. Everything they have endeavored to do over the
past two years, and especially the past six months, has
succeeded: a new coalition was set up with Labor, the
disengagement plan was approved, the evacuation and
compensation law was passed, the idea for a referendum was
thwarted, the Greek island case was closed, the Cyril Kern
case was forgotten for some reason and the opposition is
impotent. In short, all of their dreams have come true. Even
the rebellious Chief of Staff was sent packing.
After all of these dizzying successes the best thing that
could have happened in the political establishment took
place. The Sharons were so voracious they wanted every last
drop and tried to pull a fast one on the very last day of the
winter sitting. But the Knesset told the Sharons that this
time they had gone too far. [It did not approve the
ministerial appointments.]
Yet one should not be fooled into thinking the two Prime
Ministers were dissuaded by their failure to secure
ministerial appointments for their three friends, MKs Ronnie
Bar-On, Zeev Boim and Ephraim Sneh. Ariel and Omri will bide
their time until they chance upon a majority—perhaps
while numerous MKs are abroad during the Pesach recess or
they succeed in persuading their opponents through enticing
offers. Then they will get their way. Fear not. Political
hoodlums do not vanish just because of one failure.
