dagblog - Comments for "Bibi in Trouble, For Now But For Real"

PBS on Bibi's reversal of his

Bruce Levine — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 01:44:20 +0000

In reply to Bibi in Trouble, For Now But For Real

PBS on Bibi's reversal of his position on two states. Incredible.

Interesting open letter by

Bruce Levine — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:55:17 +0000

In reply to Bibi in Trouble, For Now But For Real

Interesting open letter by Haaretz columnist Sayed Kashua and why he is supporting the Joint Arab list (a coalition of Arab parties running together) rather than Meretz, a left-wing mixed Arab and Jewish party (mostly Jewish), which has the support of his friend and colleague Salman Masalha:

I’m the last person who would support a schism between Arab and Jewish parties; I’ve always supported parties that feature a joint list. But I look at the Arab towns and I see the danger, the want, the crowding and violence that will only get worse without a fundamental change in the government’s policy toward its Arab citizens. We need a strong defense, a defense that no other party can currently offer Arabs.

It’s possible that I’m mistaken, Salman, my friend; it’s possible that there’s no room for hope. But I must say that Joint List head Ayman Odeh managed to instill some faith in me since last summer, full as it was of hatred, racism and blood, during which I felt that there would never be a common future together.

Five things to know about the

Bruce Levine — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 00:39:25 +0000

In reply to Bibi in Trouble, For Now But For Real

Five things to know about the today's election in Israel:

1. Popular vote too close to call with Herzog with slight lead and momentum when last polls were taken.

2. Popular vote winner may not become prime minister -- must form a coalition of 61. Winner of popular vote is expected to win approximately 25 seats, give or take. .

3. With so many parties, and a ban on polling in the last several days, there is almost always a surprise on Election Day.

4. The unified coalition of Arab parties are expected to do very well (perhaps third highest combined vote total).

5. The process to form a coalition could take several weeks or more.

We aim to please, and

Bruce Levine — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:25:52 +0000

In reply to I haven't had this much fun

double

We aim to please, and

Bruce Levine — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:25:27 +0000

In reply to I haven't had this much fun

We aim to please, and excellent choice, but I need to start making doughnuts or I'm screwed.

I haven't had this much fun

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:23:45 +0000

In reply to The generally more

I haven't had this much fun since Petraeus crashed and burned.

Calls for a tune.

The generally more

Bruce Levine — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 13:42:45 +0000

In reply to Bibi in Trouble, For Now But For Real

The generally more conservative (relative to Haaretz anyway) Jerusalem Post is reporting this morning that Likud polls now show that more Israelis believe that Netanyahu will be unable to form a coalition than those who continue believe he will be able to:

Until recently, more than 60 percent of Israelis thought that Netanyahu would form the coalition after Tuesday's election.

On March 9, the Likud's data showed that 62.3% thought that Netanyahu would form the coalition and 19.9 % thought that Zionist Union leaders Issac Herzog and Tzipi Livni would form the government. On Monday, for the first time, the number believing Netanyahu would form the government fell to 49.6 %, while 30.4 % thought Herzog would form the coalition. It marked the first time since the election campaign began that the number dipped below 50 percent. The polls are taken by McLaughlin and associates, the American Republican strategist working for the Netanyahu campaign.

Not to outdo of course

Bruce Levine — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 21:37:19 +0000

In reply to Isaac Herzog's father, Chaim

Not to outdo of course America's own Irish speaker on that occasion, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then US Ambassador to the UN.

Isaac Herzog's father, Chaim

Bruce Levine — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 21:25:31 +0000

In reply to Hope this isn't too much, but

Isaac Herzog's father, Chaim Herzog, also served as Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations before becoming its president. Here is his speech to the UN General Assembly after it voted in favor of a resolution equating zionism with racism. Purist Irish folks might dispute my characterization of his brogue, but hey:

So he hopes to drive the

PeraclesPlease — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 21:24:14 +0000

In reply to Hope this isn't too much, but

So he hopes to drive the snakes out of Israel? Politics will be so lonely at the top...