Tzipi Livni
The fall of Tzipi Livni
Op-ed: what happened to politician once considered one of world's most influential women?
In retrospect, we may be able to understand that delusions Tzipi Livni bought into. A relatively young woman, she was a political meteor the likes of which hasn't been since in Israeli politics since Benjamin Netanyahu's first term as prime minister in 1996.
Livni had not known failure since the moment she entered public life. Every step she took brought her further and higher, and in the last general elections she carried the whole of Kadima on its back and won 28 Knesset seats for the party.
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It was hard not to be blinded by the achievement. Global newspapers praised her, while prestigious magazines crowned her as one of the world's most influential women.
However, Livni handled some issues amateurishly and with clear lack of enthusiasm. She ignored Haim Ramon's advice to settle the score with Kadima members who attempted to split the party. She did not properly handle rogue Knesset members who voted in favor of coalition bills. In the backdrop, criticism was growing, with more voices charging that Kadima was not serving as worthy opposition to Netanyahu's government.
However, Livni managed to cope with all of the above, mostly because of her perceived ability to win Knesset seats. The polls continued to give Kadima nice figures, while archrival Shaul Mofaz was dragging far behind – until it all ended, abruptly, over the past summer.
The social protest movement emerged, its organizers avoided any political affiliation, and Tzipi Livni's nightmare began. She failed to reap the fruit of the protest, and by the time she woke up it was too late. Shelly Yachimovich was elected Labor party chairwoman and reclaimed voters who defected to Kadima in the last elections.
It's over, for now
Kadima crashed, losing half its Knesset seats in the polls. In a matter of months, Livni turned from an asset to yet another politician struggling to position herself and Kadima among the mid-sized parties within Israel's political establishment. Like a pilot afflicted with vertigo, Livni failed to grasp the political crisis she was facing.
When she announced that the Kadima primaries will be brought forward, Livni still thought she could win easily. She believed that the polls will eventually give her more Knesset seats, which she would then be able to present to the voters. However, the polls continued to be disappointing.
Livni despises the art of politics with its deals and endless interaction with activists. She spoke about introducing a different kind of politics, but there is no such thing. Politics is made up of human beings with interests, needs, emotions and anger. Should you fail to invest an effort in maintaining ties with activists, all the time, they will desert you at times of weakness and crisis.
This is exactly what happened to Livni. Her public stock sank, and at that difficult hour she was left without foot soldiers. While she was busy shunning politics, Mofaz enlisted the support of all those people who gave Livni her victory three years ago.
Now all that remains is to wait for Livni to speak. At this time it appears she's on her way out of politics. She won't be establishing a new party at this time, as she has nobody that would join forces with her and no cause to pursue. She also has no interest in being Mofaz's deputy.
In fact, Livni already bid farewell to politics at her Tel Aviv headquarters on the night she was defeated. She thanked everyone and hugged her associates. For the first time in a long time, she got it. "It's over," she said, "I had a mission, but that's it. I didn't succeed, and it's over."
Indeed, for the time being, it's over. But is this a final goodbye? In Israeli politics there is no such thing as final.
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