Channels
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Are Likud ‘rebels’ coming apart?
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Not easy being a rebel

Likud ‘rebels’ long for the good old days

It's not easy to be a Likud rebel these days. The vote at the Central Committee last month destroyed everything that had taken so much effort, and so many months, to create; all the harmony and homogeneity created along the way.

 

After the Central Committee gave Sharon a bit of breathing room, the good old order crumbled, left behind like a memorial to days gone by, to a time when 13 Knesset members danced on the tables in a wine cellar in Rishon Lezion, sang loud songs about the Land of Israel and thought they could save the world. And it all seemed so reasonable.

 

The rebels, to put it mildly, have a problem. They have no leader (Netanyahu has become a laughingstock to many who feel closer to Sharon, and they see Uzi Landau as too "pale" to lead,) they have no purpose (remember the disengagement?,) they have nothing. Even the Arab enemy is not what it once was.

 

The policy differences between Michael Ratzon and Ariel Sharon are marginal, if they exist at all. Ratzon himself has trouble finding any real point of difference with Sharon now that the Gaza pullout is over and the Road Map peace plan is on the table.

 

All that is left are suspicions about future mistakes the prime minister might make (whether or not there are any more disengagements,) and about each of their political futures.

 

This, and the sweet memories of party unity, nostalgia for the days when it was possible to kick the prime minister, to vote, to incite and to act against him, and to come out of the experience without a scratch.

 

Oh, what a time it was! But they all were taken by the waves of encouragement by the Central Committee, shook hands and marched together towards their fates.

 

Now, all this has changed, and quickly. All of a sudden, with no disengagement to protest, and without early primaries, with Arik Sharon Superstar instead of "Bibi King of Israel," The world once again has returned to normal, and the "rebels" once again look like a group of traumatized scouts who don't know how to handle the fact no one wants to be "right" and wear the khaki uniform.

 

They pull to the right, pull to the left, hold consultations, send messages, and want to be ministers in the government and heads of Knesset committees.

 

'There are a million dilemmas'

 

Worried sick, they march along on thin ice, worried about hidden holes, but wanting to return to the "mainstream," to the center, to enjoy once again that which the collective has to offer.

 

"If we want party unity," says Ratzon, clearly articulating his intentions and desires, "let them give us some power. Let them make us ministers and deputy ministers and committee chairmen.

 

"If there is room for (Knesset Members) Roni Bar-On and Ze'ev Boim, there should be enough room for us."

 

The rebels understand that there is no one to buy their old goods in today's market, and that their doomsday warnings no longer apply.

 

In short, the rebels are coming apart, not rebuilding. Therefore, this is a tough, traumatic time for the rebels. Everyone is busy with their own "houses" at the moment, checking out just how they will gain the most.

 

This is a period of time full of dilemmas, and attempts to make political gains, in one or another role - and every rebel will do the right thing in his or her eyes.

 

This is the situation, and the rebels know it. It is a classic sign that an era has ended. The disengagement has happened, reconnecting with reality and their hands are steady by the faucet.

 

"There are a million dilemmas," says one Knesset member once thought to be one of the rebel leaders. "But my greatest fear is to make the wrong political move, and thereby to lose my entire world.

 

"I am breaking my head about what to do. Everyone around me is waiting to see what the other guy does. It's not easy, and now we'll just have to wait and see what the future holds.

 

"At the same time, I wouldn't bury our group completely yet. The fat lady hasn't sung yet."

 

And one more small point of confusion: Knesset Member Ayoub Kara, a particularly well-known and outspoken rebel.

 

Last night, Kara arrived at a group meeting initiated by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and was a bit confused, mostly by himself.

 

"How would he vote on the budget," he was asked, and didn't hesitate to shoot from the gut: "I will vote according to the governmental issues," he said.

 

"That is to say," said the innocent questioner, "in the name of statesmanship, you vote in favor of the budget."

 

"No, no," said Kara. "According to the issues, but I won't vote in favor of a budget for someone who carried out the disengagement.”

 

Did we already say "confused?

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.10.05, 00:09
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment