‘Olmert Faces Defeat in Any Election’

[bemildred]

JERUSALEM, 13 October 2006 — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s centrist Kadima party would plummet into third place behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and another right-wing faction if elections were held now, a poll showed yesterday.

Olmert’s popularity has collapsed in the aftermath of a 34-day war between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, amid widespread criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis.

The survey in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily showed Likud would get 22 seats — up from 12 now — in Israel’s 120-member Parliament, with Kadima beaten into third place with only 15 seats compared to the 29 it won in March elections.

Kadima would slip behind the rightist immigrant party Yisrael Beitenu, whose share would rise to 20 seats from 11 now. Kadima’s center-left coalition partner, Labor, would also drop to 15 seats from 19 now. Former Premier Ariel Sharon founded Kadima less than a year ago to reshape Israel’s presence in the occupied West Bank and try to impose a final border with the Palestinians as a way to break from decades of conflict.

Arab News

[DaveinMD]

1. not good news

if you don't like Kadima, you'll hate Likud.

[Tom Joad]

2. Tragically, there are no major parties that favor a real end to

military occupation and the endless bloodshed that means.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. I guess they will vote the way they want.

[shergald]

4. "a way to break from decades of conflict"

No way would Sharon's convergence or disengagement has done anything of the kind. It was a plan to enforce a "bantustan" solution on the situation, the one Arafat rightly refused in 2000 before Barak withdrew his negotiators. It was as far from the Road Map as anyone could get. On the other hand, who didn't know that, except George Bush, who became Sharon's puppy dog. He so clueless, George, that is.

Netanyahu will be the new prime minister, with Clean Break coming back full force. Well, the truth is, Clean Break has been the plan du jour since 1996, even under Labor. Look at the political platforms of the major Israeli parties and tell us where the Road Map fit into any of them. Netanyahu, Sharon, Olmert....they are all the same as far as statehood for the Palestinians is concerned. Nada from everyone, more conflict and interminable strife. Many more Palestinians and possibly Israelis will have to die. Israel along with the US facilitors will continue to be the bete noires of the world.