...matters of social welfare and exhibited to its former voters that the Jewish people, the state of Israel and that Zionism were more important to its leaders than the well being of those eager to wipe Israel off the face of earth.

Good news about Likud. There is nothing better than seeing Kadima and the Left decline. Beiteinu should increase because they say it is it is and don't blink.

You got it right all in one.Bravo, but I think that we are a dying species.

yoel marcus came out with a pathetic appeasing ignorant piece in haaretz today. He says liebrman pays to the radical right, again attesting to israel's unwise fascination with labels. I am not radical right, I could care less about shas and their exalted josef and their moneygrubbing and rear ending. And I don't buy some of beitenu's policies of presidential style elections which would cement and olmert or livni staying in power fro 4 or more years. Who wants that. But, any normal self respecting person when challenged by erdgoan saying we committed genoicide in gaza or assad saying he will hit our cities, would stand up and say, no we responded to rockets in gaza and defended our people no less than what you do against the PKK and what you say is a pack of lies. erdgoan's wife is arabic in the extreme. As for assad, he is number one in terror and israel should knock him and asma out of power if he attacks our cities. That's what a normal person says. Yes it is the middle east and caution is required but at some point you have to stand up or the arabs will believe their rhetoric. They worry about lieberman and his wild manners and are afraid of him, yes afraid of them. He says ..you treat me nice, I treat you nice.You mess with me, I mess with you. israel has not had anyone like him, sharon was more measured...we will know how to respond. This is not radical right , this is normal self respect. Marcus lacks self respect and is a weak ignorant beilinist. Next he advocates livni as fm, that she accomplished so much with her UN resolutions which were worthless and she hangs on her husband.. what should I say. And at the least, she sat next to a coward for 3 years and said..yes sir. Next Mofaz who was a lousy chief of staff who allowed olmert to foist his pacifism and defeatism on israelis who suffered for 3 years with him. Both of them should have walked and quit olmert. So in summary, Marcus is a loser, an ignorant beilinist and ben ami type along with megged, ramon, dekel, verter, benn, sarid, avinery who writes for ma'an and tehran times, grossman who bleeds for arabs,and olmert who is so afraid of defending himself that he offered the arabs everything and israel nothing, zero. Lierberman deters and get used to it. He will be the next prime minister as he evolves.The arabs are thinking about him, and worry ing about him. Jews are not going quietly into the gas chamber ever again and it starts now.

I would guess that the public's high regard for Gideon Saar is due to the reforms in education that his ministry is now carrying out. I heard him speak about the plans of his office for education reform and I was pleased by what I heard.

The Meretz increase doesn't signal a change in political thinking it will become home to the the former Labour voters who are like Yuli Tamir dont like Baraks attempt to make the party a centerist one. They want good old fashioned socialism where the state has more say in running the economy, more equality for all, surrender is better than war etc. Labour will fight this election and if they do as badly as the polls predict next time round they might merge with Kadima into a new party. Mergers have been done plenty of times before in Israeli politics and there is no reason to suspect it can't happen to Labour. I think that the reason most Kadima voters would stick with Kadima is they don't see an alternative in Labour. They are not far left as to support Meretz but they don't want Likud. I think the people who voted for Kadima as a sympathy vote for Sharon have already changed sides I think as long as its being run by Liberman YB will continue to do well but its very much a 1 man party in the eyes of the average voter. It happened to Likud under Sharon he was such a dominating individual he came to be the man associated with Likud. After his stroke Likud went on a downward spiral. Even after the Gaza withdraw Sharon had lots of supporters largely based on his personality not party policy. The nationalists would do well to merge into a single party and organize making them a long term party. Last time the pensioners pulled off a surprise result and they had high hopes of doing so again but this election they never got anybody. The tiny nationalist block need to merge into 1 party with basic nationalist values or they will be here today & gone tomorrow like the pensioners. As a single party they can join coalitions & long term when Liberman retires they may be a viable alternative for some YB voters if the new leader is to mainstream so a nationalist party would be a viable alternative.