Comments on: Tzipi Livni did the right thing

By: Rachelle Ehven

Rachelle Ehven — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:34:04 +0000

Utter nonsense – Livni is interested only in herself and no-one else – her political career is virtually non-existent as she changes her colours whenever it is convenient for her to do so – thus furthering her own personal agenda and not that of the party she formed -which of course was formed to further her own personal agenda to start with. She is not to be taken seriously and that is why Netanyahu may let her conduct peace talks – he knows that will go nowhere..he needs the number to make up the government but Livni will not have a big say in anything of great import. She is window dressing at best – a sop to the US to "show" that the government is making steps toward peace when none is viable. It is high time the liberals who dream of peace woke up to the fact that, like him or not, Avigdor Liberman spoke the truth – there will not be peace because that is not what our neighbours want – they just want us gone.

By: Shlomo Toren

Shlomo Toren — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:42:07 +0000

The present coalition negotiations shows Israeli politics as some sort of "shell game" where what you get is vastly differnt than what you vote for and what you are promised quickly forgotten. Perhaps Tzippi Livni joining a Likud-Beteinu government makes sense from Livni's point of view, but for both Likud and Tnua voters it seems a betrayal of campaign promises. Meaning, as it must, that Israel's pressing concerns over "burden sharing" will be sacrificed for photo ops as Shas and Aguda sit comfortably enshrined near the tills of budgetary largese.

We could do better here, and if Netanyahu wanted a compact focused government it was clearly in his reach. Let's see if he makes a recovery or if the ball gets passed to some one else.

By: Eitan Levy

Eitan Levy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:13:44 +0000

My maps, Israeli printed, all include the green line, and many include areas A, B and C.

By: Kalman Neuman

Kalman Neuman — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:58:01 +0000

When will Israel print maps with the green line?

By: Eitan Levy

Eitan Levy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:30:29 +0000

Gideon: That's exactly why we like him. We've had enough of the 'brave risks for peace' championed by the likes of Peres.

By: Gregory Aharfi

Gregory Aharfi — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:30:28 +0000

The writer is a leftist who is suddenly defending what he believed to be his ennemy one month ago. Pathetic. Livni and Bibi only care about their respective careers first. Bibi want a gvt where lapid wont be able to break it so he wants 79 seats. This is why he needs shas and bennet and livni.

By: Eitan Levy

Eitan Levy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:28:49 +0000

Decent reasoning for why Livni might have done what she did. Problem is that there will be no peace agreement in the next four years no matter what Israel's government does. I'm sick of the progressive fallacy that 'everything is possible,' and therefore a lack of a solution/perfection must be our fault. We've had left wing and right wing governments offer comprehensive peace deals. Today the Palestinians are so split amongst themselves (and it seems the majority support the die-hard terrorists of Hamas) that any agreement signed would be even more worthless than previous agreements. 'Peace talks' are a devalued currency. How about this: Palestinian society gets 20 years to reform their education system, accept Israel as a Jewish state, and teach their children that Jews are not apes and pigs. They might want to start by printing maps with TWO states on them instead of just Palestine over the entire Land of Israel, reforming their charter, abolishing bloodthirsty terrorist organizations from their political echelons (e.g. Hamas), and generally building a civil society capable of holding together under the political and societal strain a peace deal is bound to bring. Then we'll talk. Until then it's just political theatre, a question of how to appear to Americans and Europeans on cable news.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:49:29 +0000

Caitlyn Martin: Netanyahu and "risk taking" is mutually exclusive, Catlyn.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:46:36 +0000

You don't enter a government because "your career" is in problems, but because you agree with it. Livni was loud, clear and unequivocal in not wanting to become Likud-beiteinu's pro-peace fig leaf. Her lack of reason and accountability made her U-turn and become just that, with no chance of success. She knows Netanyahu and knows he wants peace talks to sell, but not peace talks to arrive anywhere. She's unbelievably foolish and impuslive, lacking backbone and what Zahava Gal-On has: a true cause.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:46:36 +0000

By: Jon Segall

Jon Segall — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:37:37 +0000

Exactly… I mean the PM is supporting Akunis' new bill to restrict anything with the Palestinians to a
"popular referendum" and Likud is concerned that Livni will mess with "Rightist aspirations" (Paraphrased).

Look at what's happening with Lapid and Bennett – they are both saying the same thing, no one is talking specifics, it's just about ministerial posts. But, how will anyone to the Left of Likud (Yesh Atid, Avodah, Kadima, HaTanuah) actually get anything of what they promised. Bibi and Likud promise a lot and deliver very little. Just ask Labor and Kadima how that worked for them.

By: Caitlyn Martin

Caitlyn Martin — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:45:08 +0000

I respectfully disagree. This is the same Netanyahu who signed the Wye River accords and withdrew from most of Hebron. The consequence of that was that the right abandoned him and his government fell. Bibi has shown that he will take risks and make sacrifices for peace. The vilification of the Prime Minister by leftist media in the West is unjustified. What Prime Minister Netanyahu won't do is give concessions without anything in return. That, IMHO, is a very good thing.

By: Benjamin Rodkin

Benjamin Rodkin — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:05:23 +0000

"A 72-seat majority with Likud and Labor in government would fashion a consensus that could push for a settlement with the Palestinians, focus on economic inequality during a period of budgetary restrictions, and make some if limited gains on the sharing of the burden."

Do you honestly think Netanyahu, let alone a more right-wing Likud, has any interest in negotiating with the Palestinians or reaching a viable two-state solution. Netanyahu is not far off from the very Palestinians he condemns, in other words, people who talk peace to the Western media but have no desire to actually come to an agreement. Livni is a fig leaf, Shelly knows this.