There is nothing, either good or bad, that cannot be said about Haim Ramon. In his 26 years in Israeli politics he was a figure replete with internal contradictions that one could hate or love; a figure whose opinions one could agree with or object to, but not ignore.
He had many fans, and also many enemies. Ramon managed to maneuver himself smoothly over the years with great success. Time after time
he managed, using the kind of talent and charm that most politicians lack, to start fires, provoke mayhem, and place mirrors in front of the ugly face of Israeli politics.
With the boldness and chutzpa of a bad boy, an image he nurtured carefully over the years, Ramon was able to stir up emotions and survive. He was among the first supporters of the West Bank security fence, among the first who dreamed about a centrist party that will be formed on the ruins of the veteran parties, and among the first who identified the steady decline of Labor – his first political home, which he left and returned to more than once.
In the annals of the history of Israeli politics, Ramon will mostly be remembered for his ability to join in and find a solution to any patron, and for his contribution to Kadima’s establishment and to the destruction of the political establishment we knew until 2006.
Ramon was among those who created the so-called “big bang” of Israeli politics; he was among the thinkers behind the move and among its admirers. For years he believed that the political map must be changed in order to change history and redirect our political and diplomatic path away from the ideological snag it hit many years ago.
Kadima’s establishment indeed destroyed the classic political structure of Left and Right, but also contributed to the cheapening of Israel’s public discourse, which as it is did not boast great depth.
Ramon, with his endless talent for finding an explanation for every move and idea, managed to convince even the stubborn Sharon of the necessity of a party whose entire purpose is to reshuffle politics. Now, his retirement constitutes a blow to Kadima, which lost one of its pillars and the man who translated ideas into action.
For years, Ramon was said to be made of the stuff prime ministers are made of, but his laziness hurt him. Ramon loved the political establishment and became afflicted by the virus that attacks most Israeli public servants who find it difficult to leave the comfort zone of the Knesset. He dreamed big dreams, but hated the dirty political work, even though he excelled in it to a greater extent than most of his Knesset colleagues.
His enemies, and mostly his haters, will have trouble coming up with kind words to describe him, yet his friends say that throughout his career he was an honest and professional politician, and a man who suffered a great injustice. They believe that Ramon will be back, and that his retirement was only undertaken for the purpose of resting and taking a breath. He will be back, big time, they say.
“Ramon is a master commentator, the master surgeon of Israeli politics, the man who could not keep his mouth under control (literally,) and one of the key figures in Israeli politics,” said one of Israel’s most well-known political strategists who predicts a comeback. “He announced his temporary departure only so he may return in a few years, as a premiership candidate.”
Is Ramon’s retirement indeed temporary? There’s no telling. For now, Ramon will aim to make some money, and possibly wait for the moment where he’ll be missed. Nobody knows better than he how the political establishment, which he shaped himself, works.
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