7 Responses

1. (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he saw “a real danger” he might lose next week’s closely contested election and asserted that there was a worldwide effort to ensure such an outcome.

   In what Israeli media called an unannounced visit to a rally north of Tel Aviv, Netanyahu entreated supporters to make sure he defeats rival Isaac Herzog of the left-of-center Zionist Union party by casting ballots in the March 17 vote.

   “It’s far from being certain, there’s a real danger,” the said the right-wing premier, who has been in office since 2009.

   In footage of the event obtained by Reuters Television, Netanyahu said Herzog would seek to renew peace talks with Palestinians and negotiate about “dividing Jerusalem, giving back territory”. He was alluding to his rival’s promises to seek to revive negotiations that collapsed in April.

   Israeli Army Radio earlier aired what it said were comments Netanyahu made on Monday to party activists in which he said “it is a very tight race. Nothing is guaranteed because there is a huge, worldwide effort to topple the Likud government”.

   The radio interpreted his remarks as referring to foreign funding for advocacy groups campaigning for a change in government in Israel.

2. Those still straddling [or considering staying home] give new meaning to “Resho’im even on Pischei shel Gehenom refuse to do teshuva”

3. No meaningful change. The only way for Labor or Likud to have a hareidi-free coalition is to form a coalition with each other.

4. It’s so hard to take these polls seriously. Every day they tell you something else.

5. Do I hear Prime Minister-elect Herzog coming through loud and clear?

6. to Bogen: For Herzog to win, the “Right” has to split over the issue of conscription (Yisrael Beiteinu has been strongly in favor of penal sanctions for draft resistance, Likud and Bayit Yehudi pushed them through the last time). If the “right” (nationalists) are unwilling to compromise, then “the ball” will be in Labor’s court.

   Labor could fairly easily support a general rule for religious and conscientious objections, or switch to a professional army. Doing so would please the Arabs, the Post-Zionist leftists, and would be acceptable to the “share the burden” crowd (since there would no longer be a burden to share). At that point, Labor could include both Arabs and hareidim and form a government. This would probably be very bad for nationalists (inc settlements) which is why I see them giving up on conscription of hareidim.

   The only scenario I can see would be Labor does horrible, and Bibi resigns in disgrade and Likud agrees to be the junior partner in a Labor led coalition. This would be very bad for hareidim.

7. Bogen says: Why are you so happy? You want to visit Israel for all the Toeivas’s they will allow here?

   I guess you also don’t care about Hashem’s Land they’ll give away or the safety of your fellow Jews.