Friday December 24, 2004

I've Been Thinking:

"Out with the old and in with the new." Or better - "Out with the old -- that is, except for Shimon Peres."

That seems to be the motto of Israel's left wing Labor Party.

Israel's left is trying to resuscitate itself under the new/old leadership of Shimon Peres. They've tried this before.
This week there were party elections to determine who would be the Labor ministers joining Ariel Sharon's National Unity Government.

There was a complete sweep:
Amram Mitznah, the former head of Labor's party, who ran and lost the election to Sharon, was so far down the list it was downright embarrassing.
"Labor past" was conspicuously out.
The top 2 places went to the young guard - Ophir Pines- Paz and Isaac Herzog. Two youngish men with experience and public notoriety but not of leadership caliber, at least, not yet.

What are we seeing? Condemnation of the failed past decade of Labor leadership and a ringing endorsement for changing the public face of Labor.
Will it succeed? The only chance Labor has is to join with Sharon in this government and then, afterwards, launch a battle to gain back the voters in the middle.
Those voters are right now firmly with Sharon. But who knows?
Nothing is as fickle as Israeli politics.