Tuesday June 14, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Was Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon publicly humiliated by the three No Confidence votes that passed the Knesset today?
No, not really.
Is Sharon's position in jeopardy?
Again, not really.

Well, why not?
Because it really means nothing in practical terms.
Because 61 of the 120 members of Knesset must vote No Confidence in order to fell the government. These votes averaged about 36-35.

Was there any significance to the votes?
There was.
The extreme right and the extreme left and the Arab parties voted together. That's very significant. National Union, a party so far right that it has even suggested urging the Arabs to leave Israel by giving them economic incentives, joined forces with Arab parties who have, in turn, attempted to change the National Anthem as well as change the Jewish nature of the state.

Politics certainly made for strange bedfellows in the Knesset today.