Peres may be great, but he’s not credible, Nahum Barnea says
Photo: Tomeriko
Peres’ old wives’ tales
Shimon Peres’ credibility strangely overrated
Sometimes, the big revelations are found in the fine print. Take for example the Labor party members’ poll undertaken by Mina Tzemach last week. The survey’s findings were published in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper Friday by Sima Kadmon.
Peres received 31 percent of the vote, compared to Matan Vilnai with 24 percent, Amir Peretz with 13 percent, and behind them Binyamin Ben Eliezer and Ehud Barak with 8 percent each.
Nahum Barnea is senior political analyst for newspaper 'Yedioth Ahronoth,' and Israel's leading political commentatorTzemach asked the respondents who they believe is the most credible candidate for the Labor party leadership. The answer was unequivocal: Shimon Peres.
Peres Speaks
By Nechama Duak
Shimon Peres, ever the picture of Dorian Gray, says avoiding over-eating and reading a lot will lead to long and healthy life
Unfortunately, I am not part of the important group of Labor party members. I did not possess any of the required qualifications: I do not live in a moshav. I’m not a kibbutznik. I’m not an Arab or a Druze. I’m not a Likud member. Neither am I a clerk in the Histadrut labor federation.
Unique international stature
Indeed, it’s difficult for me to probe the mind of Labor party members. At the same time, since we are talking about a decision of national significance, it’s worth a try.
Peres is no doubt the most senior candidate. The influence his decision had on the State of Israel’s history is immense, and puts him in the company of our founding fathers.
His international stature is also unique. No door in the world is closed to him. No leader is unwilling to listen to his advice.
Had Labor members been asked who in their eyes is the greatest among the candidates, the most experienced, most well connected, the most curious, it is reasonable the overwhelming majority would point to Peres. Had they been asked who is the most articulate, brightest, boldest in matters of peace and security – sometimes bold to the point of adventurism – then they would also vote for him, without hesitation.
But credibility? Peres is credible?!
Credibility not Peres’ strong suit
Anyone intimately familiar with our political system, including Peres’ Labor party colleagues, must have been surprised Friday morning.
Anyone who had doubts over the matter did not need to invest much effort, just turn the page and read the headline to the interview he gave Amira Lam.
“I’m willing to compete with each one of the candidates at the weight room,” he said. “Let’s see who is in better shape and has more energies.” (Candidate Matan Vilnai, a seasoned cyclist, probably fell off his bicycle laughing. The others only smiled politely.)
The problem of credibility is repeated throughout Peres’ responses, from the first line to the last, starting with the description of his motives to again run for party leadership and the declaration he has “never” called reporters, and continuing with his poetic willingness to “sweep streets for peace.”
Peres has very smart answers and witty replies. However, credibility is not his strong suit.
The Even Shoshan Hebrew dictionary defines “credibility” as follows: “True to the original, authentic, genuine.” In other, less polite words, one whose words can be wholly trusted, one who never lies.
Sharon as an example
However, for Labor party members, and likely for many others, the term “credibility” means something else entirely. It means “maturity,” “dignity,” “seniority”. A mature, dignified, senior candidate is a credible candidate. Ariel Sharon, for example.
Sharon’s critics can continuously point to his inconsistencies and contradictions. If he is able to sit with dignified restraint in the face of yelling Knesset members from Left and Right and smile his closed-mouthed dolphin smile, he will be considered credible by the public.
The importance people attach to credibility may be exaggerated. People can be credible and still cause terrible damages. People can be credible, not utter a lie, and speak nonsense. People can be devoid of credibility, and still do their nation a great service.
In the “Princess Bride,” a classic children’s movie, the grandfather, Peter Falk, reads his grandson a story from a fairytale.
The plot is cruel. The child is unhappy. He argues. Finally, he accepts it and falls asleep. Israelis are not children, of course. Yet there is something charming about the way they are willing to accept old wives’ tales from grandpa Peres.
