Mr. Pacman and Mr. Peace
Peace is our most overused excuse, the easiest one in the region
Heavily made up they entered the press conference in the Prime Minister's Office, one worried, the other satisfied.
They played a classic game of the collaborator and his operator: The collaborator was worried, found it difficult to look up, and stared at his glass of water.
The operator was amused, presenting his acquisition for all to see.
After 66 years, Shimon Peres broke ranks and promised to deliver those he left behind. The sky didn't fall. The earth didn't shake. Everything was natural and expected, just like in a Shin Bet collaboration course.
"Peace," Peres said, "peace. Peace, peace." Peres didn't blush, and peace was not confused: Peace is our most overused excuse, the easiest one in the Middle East.
Peace is the excuse of the oppressed, the corrupt, the cruel and the criminal. Sometimes it is even a good excuse for war (as in the Peace for Galilee War).
If Peres was truly interested in peace-making, he could have waited until after the elections and then presented his credentials to the next prime minister.
There is currently no rush: Peace is on hold, at least until the elections. Could it still be on hold after the election, who knows?
Peres' double pay-back
It will hardly be news to readers to say that Peres joined Kadima with one goal only: To draw votes away from Labor in favor of the new party.
The deal is simple: Peres helps bring in Eli Affalo, Ruhama Avraham and other ex-Likudniks into the next Knesset, and receives a double pay-back: Revenge, and a job in Sharon's next government.
Peres apparently concluded a successful deal. Sharon, too. The question now is whether left-wing voters who like Peres will agree to follow him.
The establishment of Kadima was welcomed by most Israeli voters. It breathed new life into a politic in serious danger of atrophy. It sharpened positions. It punished the Likud for years of over-wiliness.
Kadima's success in opinion polls raises the chance that the coalition resulting from the coming elections will be solid and stable.
Kadima will be the main feature, whereas other centrist parties will be icing on the cake.
No room for mercy on Labor
The downside is that Sharon's appetite is too big. Like the classic video game "Pacman," he eats anything in his way. After swallowing the Likud, he wants to swallow the Labor Party.
Sharon gives the clear impression that, like Maxwell, he is prepared to buy anything that moves. Fuad? Fuad (Ben-Eliezer). (Shalom) Simhon? Simhon. Ben-Menachem? Ben-Menachem. Ralev Majdala? Ralev Majdala.
In most cases the acquisition is not for real. His main intent is opposing parties to riot.
There is no room for mercy on the Labor Party: If it is unable to stand up to this type of hostile takeover, it is unworthy of voter's confidence.
The "Kadima" problem is even more worrying: Gathering in the remnants of other parties will not help repair the image of authority in Israel.
And the giver and taker continues to be Omri Sharon, a convicted criminal. We could understand if forced, why the Knesset Committee refused to suspend him, but it is impossible to understand why he continues to play an active role in election matters, as if the crimes for which he has been convicted were not related to this exact issue.
