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26 Adar II 5765 - April 6, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Opinion & Comment
Politica: "Prime Minister" Omri Sharon

By E. Rauchberger

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.


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