Netanyahu's Many Roles
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proven he can appeal to many audiences, and may consider Hatneua Leader Tzipi Livni as his bridge to the international community if he is able to form the next government, writes Ben Caspit.
How is it possible that a prime minister who gave the peace process a humiliating burial, built dozens and thousands of housing units in Judea and Samaria and focused his election campaign on the premise that there’s no one to talk to [on the Palestinian side], has included Hatenua leader Tzipi Livni in his coalition before anyone else, given her a senior portfolio [Minister of Justice] and put her in charge of the diplomatic process?
It turns out that in Israel, anything is possible. Everything is political, everything is personal, everything goes in order to survive. Both of them, Livni and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are holding their noses and entering their joint kitchen because they have no choice. Netanyahu does not have a coalition. He has 20 mandates The Likud part, after the merger with Yisrael-Beiteinu party, she has six. Both of them need crutches in order to hobble along. And when there’s no other choice, each will be the other’s crutch. It’s not enough, but it’s a start.
Let it be said to her credit that she entered the election campaign courageously with her convictions, knowing that her merchandise is not in great demand in Israel. Most Israelis want peace and are willing to pay a high price for it, but at the very same time they do not believe they have a partner. Talk about negotiations and two states and about the Palestinians evoke boredom in the average Israeli. He’s been there and was kicked out in humiliation. Despite it all, Livni insisted. This brought her six mandates, because that’s all there is, and now she’s entering the political shop to undergo refurbishing.
Netanyahu went through a similar experience. Luckily for him, this time no one challenged him. A reasonable candidate on the other side would have sent Netanyahu to his private home in Caesarea [an upscale neighborhood along the Mediterranean coast]. He received a warning from the Israeli voter, who handed him the car keys once again but placed an escort driver next to him.
