Tel-Chai Nation

Well now, maybe this isn't too surprising, or shouldn't be. Just a day after Ehud Barak and the Labor party say they'd support a bill for dispersing the Knesset, they backtrack over the ostensible assurance that there will be primaries for a new leader in Kadima in a few months, which does little more than to give Ehud Olmert some more borrowed time. It says here:

The Labor-Kadima agreement does not specify when Olmert will actually step down from office, under the assumption that the primaries will produce another paty leader.

Politicians from the right and the left were quick to slam the deal. MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz) criticized the Labor Party for allowing a prime minister under investigation of corruption charges to remain in power several additional months instead of replacing him with a "suitable" government immediately. One Likud Party spokesman said Labor chairman Ehud Barak "once again failed to take responsibility," a reference to the Defense Minister's broken promise to resign upon publication of the Winograd Report in January, 2008.

They are quite right, I'll say. Barak is no leader. Update: Netanyahu, much more of a leader than he'll ever be, has responded in an address to Olmert on how the dam of confidence has been broken.

Update 2: Olmert has announced that he'll run for reelection in the coming primary, much to the embarrassment of the Labor party. Well, I hope some of them are happy with how ridiculous they've made themselves look.

It's said that Shas holds the key to the government's survival. However, that's exactly why now, all eyes should be turned to them as well, because they are going to have to take responsibility.

Labels: Israel, Knesset, political corruption