2009 Elections: A Second Chance For Us All

With the upcoming elections we are forced to choose between three different failed leaders.

The Kadima Party now led by Tzipi Livni, have done nothing but prove their incompetence since being voted into office. Since it's creation, the Kadima party has subjected the Israeli people to numerous disasters. The disengagement led by Kadima, was quickly followed by the rise of Hamas in Gaza. Consequently, the Southern part of Israel has suffered from unrelenting rocket attacks from Gaza.

Ehud Olmert, the now departing Prime Minister has brought us the failure of the Lebanon War, the capture of Gilad Shalit, the bungled captive negotiations, and the premature retreat during Operation "Cast Lead."

The only thing that Tzipi Livni has going for her is the fact that she is a woman and she seems to be in denial. Last year she did not manage to build a coalition what makes her believe that she can do so now?


The Labor (Avoda) party headed by Ehud Barak is no better. We all watched as they plummeted when led by Amir Peretz. The Labor party managed to bring us the worst Security Minister who managed to make a laughing stock of himself.

More importantly, Barak already was Prime Minister in 1999. It is hard to forget his term. He managed to build a coalition rather quickly after being voted in, but it deteriorated as he continued to go against their basic wishes.

Finally, the Likud party. This Likud is different than the one that brought us the Disengagement led by Ariel Sharon. With people such as Benny Begin and Effi Eitam on the Likud staff we can feel the Likud become the right-wing organization it once was. Unfortunatley, Benyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the man running for Prime Minister.

When remembering Bibi as a Prime Minister his impeachment comes to mind. After being voted into office in 1996, by 1999 he had been impeached and replaced by Ehud Barak.

Israeli politics seems to be filled with failures begging for a second chance. As a people we are left with no other choice. As a people, we are defined by our leaders. If we continue voting in leaders like these we will always be Israel, a failed country begging for a second chance.

Gaza War - What for?

Over the past few days we have watched as the troops left Gaza, leaving piles of rubble and hundreds dead in their wake.
As we pull out I cannot help but wonder what it was all for. Of course we wanted to stop the rocket attacks on the Southern part of Israel, attacks that only enlarged after we enter and did not stop until we left. In fact, Israel did not stop the Hamas, did not stop the rocket attacks. These attacks on Gaza seemed only to enrage the Hamas, kill 1300 Palestinians, and build world sympathy for the Palestinians in Gaza.

That being said, I cannot help but think that our Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is purposely trying to sabotage Israel. With only a few weeks left to his term as Prime Minister, it makes you wonder.

For three years, Israel has endured constant rocket attacks from the Hamas in Gaza and Olmert has done nothing. Suddenly, a month before he is destined to leave office he decides to enter Gaza. Suddenly, Gaza is being bombed, and bombed hard. An almost disproportionate amount of explosives are used on the Palestinians. Israel, a country known for its low citizen casualty in wartime manages to kill a few hundred citizens.

It is interesting to note that Olmert decided to go into Gaza as President Bush was leaving his office, and left before President Obama was sworn in.

By exiting Gaza when he did, Olmert is saying that there was no reason to enter Gaza in the first place. If he had stopped the rockets, or stopped the Hamas, they we could have walked away with our heads held high. Instead, we once more are agreeing to a shaky cease-fire that will only allow the Hamas to re-arm. By leaving the Hamas in power, by leaving before we managed to stop the rockets, Olmert has agreed with the world media.

Sure we may have destroyed the morale of the citizens, but the fight was not against the citizens, it was against the Hamas.

Here in Israel, we have been told that we won the war, that the Hamas was hit hard, that we managed to kill over 400 Hamas terrorist including some of the organizations leaders.

But, I see the Hamas in power, I see them receiving aid and world sympathy. The Hamas openly announces that they will re-arm. By pulling out too early (once again) Olmert has placed all of Israel in a very precarious position. One in which the Hamas has the upper hand, where they will be able to buy stronger and better rockets.

Olmert has not only made Israel look horrible in the worlds eyes, but he has created a world in which the Hamas won.