Posted on 03/15/2015 10:11:06 AM PDT by Star Traveler
JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israelis prepare to vote in parliament elections on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself at a fateful crossroads: Make history or become history.
If Netanyahu can lead his Likud Party to victory and secure a fourth term in office, he will move closer to overtaking the nation's iconic founding father, David Ben-Gurion, as the longest-ever serving premier — and cementing a status as the dominant Israeli politician of the past two decades.
But if Likud stumbles and finds itself in the opposition — a real possibility, according to recent polls — the Netanyahu era could end with a resounding thud, concluding a career that many would say brought few major accomplishments beyond longevity. Iran and the international community seem headed toward a nuclear deal that Netanyahu abhors, and a resolution to the Palestinian issue seems as distant as ever.
"If he leaves office, he won't leave any dramatic changes," said Yoaz Hendel, a former aide to Netanyahu. In a turbulent region, one could say "this is the best thing to do," Hendel said.
The Israeli campaign is widely seen as a choice between two world views: Netanyahu's focus on Israel's many security challenges — he has long been a voice calling for zero tolerance of terrorism — or his opponents' focus on Israel's social problems and high cost of living. It also touches on his support for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which the opposition and the outside world detest.
But on a basic level, the campaign is simply a referendum on Netanyahu, a polarizing character who is adored as "King Bibi" by his supporters and reviled by his detractors.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
That quote sounds like Netanyahu is talking about how he put together the present government. I don’t have access to the article, so I can’t read it in fuller context.
BUT ... I did see the opening paragraph ...
— — —
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised statement to the Israeli public on Tuesday following his moves toward new elections, saying that the current government had been forced on him – and that it was impossible to run a state this way.
— — —
From that, it sounds like he made the decision because he didn’t like the present governing coalition, not because the government collapsed. It sure sounds like his choice.
Yes, Netanyahu “voluntarily” called early elections. He fired Lapid and Livni before they could organize a no-confidence vote and pick their own election date after making preparations. Bibi’s theory was that the less time they had the better.
Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall my own thinking back then ... that a quick election was in his benefit for that purpose, as you state it ... :-) ...
the idea that God removes the righteous to allow evil to triumph is Calvinism in its most extreme form. He may not always intervene to save the righteous because doing so would curtail the free will of the evil, but ultimately, the evil will war against each other and the righteous will prevail. Vigilanteman
The righteous will prevail because the Mesdiah of Israel returns to earth and destroys all those opposed to him Star Traveler
Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming Star Traveler
I think that I understand what guides your views. I do not share your perspective. It would be presumptuous of us to attempt to further an apocalypse. We must support those who fight evil.
Leave Netanyahu and Likud out of your theological plannning.
I’ve been critical of Israel and the amount of foreign aid we give them but tossing out Bibi would be a sore loss, he is a good guy. I hope in Israel they are making an issue of Obama trying to purchase his opposition. If a liberal Israeli wins, you can count on more appeasement.
This is a mistake that some make when the subject of what God has said will happen ... comes up for discussion.
These people somehow think that Christians are SUPPOSED TO “help the Antichrist” since God makes it clear that the Antichrist will take control of the world. Or, when God says that there is another coming Holocaust for the Jews, they think that we’re encouraging and are going to support that.
I have no idea why some other posters confuse “us” ... with “God”. God WILL DO what He says, while we continue to struggle with our puny efforts, and we often fail ... as we can see we failed in preventing Obama from getting into office and as others may fail in keeping Netanyahu as Prime Minister.
AND ALSO, the MAIN THING that God tells us that we’re supposed to do ... is give out to other people ... the Gospel of Salvation, through Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, as the ONLY WAY TO SALVATION FOR ANYONE ... per what those 66 books of the Bible says.
Those news articles which tell the status of Netanyahu versus the opposition are all over the Israeli news outlets, plus the world news agencies. It “IS” what is being reported ... PLUS ... the fact that it does definitely appear to be true.
There is a difference between reporting the facts of what is going on ... as compared to ... what I as a voter or supporter WANT to happen.
I firmly believe that one HAS TO KNOW the REALITY of what is happening, in order to act intelligently ... in a way that will actually work. It’s extremely important for everyone to know what the truth of the matter is ... in terms of the support or lack of support or what the arguments are from the other side.
I would be more than overjoyed to have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win the majority of seats over the opposition ... BUT ... it appears to me from the news that this is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. That’s the news on the matter, regardless of the fact that I would prefer Netanyahu to get the majority.
You report what is actually happening! And that is what is happening. Don’t confuse “what one wants” with “what is happening”.
My choice on aid to Israel ... is ... cut off all aid to everyone else in the world, first ... and then Israel would be the last one left, and the USA could more than afford that ... :-) ...
Maybe it's the "bad news" being served up with smileys and LOLs.
” BUT ... it appears to me from the news that this is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.”
They are taking a page out of the Alinsky playbook and trying to depress the Cons, and suppress their desire to turn out their vote.
Well, you’re wrong on both counts ... I have nothing to do with the State Department and I’m not wishing or enabling all those stated prophecies to happen.
As I said earlier ... I see some people mistaking what God has said in the Bible ... as something that a Christian will attempt to “make happen”! I’ve seen this mistaken impression spoken to others, many times. They mistake “what God has said” ... with ... “what Christians work to make happen”.
I see you’ve got that same mistaken impression that I’ve seen written elsewhere.
As far as the Gaza War, I gave the “Netanyahu analysis” ... LOL ... I had to hassle with others on Free Republic who didn’t even like the “Netanyahu analysis” ... :-) ...
The “State Department” analysis was to go with Qatar for getting a cease-fire ... and instead Netanyahu and Israel were going with Egypt. I backed the Israeli-Egyptian alliance against Hamas (which Netanyahu was working) instead of the State Department backing of Turkey and Qatar backing Hamas.
It appears you’ve got it all backwards ... LOL ...
It’s bad news ... nonetheless ...
Nobody said it wasn't.
Voter depression tactics don’t work so well in a multi-party system. A vote for a party like Bayit Yehudi instead of Likud doesn’t mean a vote for a leftist government. There’s great incentive to support your favored candidate to the max so he has input in the government.
If I understand it right ... from Netanyahu ... he is saying (rather) that there are voters who will vote “for something better” on the right, instead of for Netanyahu, and that will “split the vote” and cause Netanyahu to lose votes.
SO, it’s not really suppressing the vote, as it is that others are not voting for Netanyahu, you see.
This is an example of LOSING because of this principle ... “Perfect is the enemy of Good.”
I see that here on Free Republic, too. There are those who will only “vote for the perfect” thereby causing the “good” to lose ... and thus allowing “the worst” to win.
I think that may be what is going on.
Not LOL’ing. We got you pegged.
So, we agree on the substance of the matter, while disagreeing on “writing styles” ... :-) ...
The “we” happens to be that crowd of people in your head ... LOL ...
Sure hope Bibi's not solely relying on Republican strategists! LOL! :-D
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