Prime Minister Ehud Olmert lashed out on Monday at members of his Kadima party for what he labeled as a bad atmosphere among their ranks. "If we forget for one second the tumult, the fervor and the way in which the Israeli public discourse is being managed, and look for a moment at the situation in the eyes of the international economic expert, we will find him speaking praises about the way in which we are managing things," he said at a meeting of the Kadima faction.One of the things I admire about Israeli society is how engaged it is politically. Their ability to form opinions and then slug it out in the public forum. Too bad the Saudis, the Iranians, or even the Syrians couldn't take a that leaf out of the Israeli discourse and make it their own.
There has never been a more comfortable period for the State of Israel as the present period … We have to understand that reality is good and only the polls are not – and thank God this is so. Imagine this was different," he said.
Meanwhile Kassams continue to rain down on Israel and the local Palestinian USAID has embarked on a campaign to improve its image and brand among the Palestinians. It very well may be a lost cause as these are one of the few groups of people who it can be said to not only mourn Saddam Hussein but have idolized him as well. I just can’t see any common cultural ground. I’m probably living in an alternative reality.
1 comment:
We have to understand that reality is good and only the polls are not
I would like to know just what planet Olmert is on, and maybe how to get there, too...
As you pointed out, Kate, the qassams keep falling, but there's also the widening income gap in Israeli society; the looming threat of open war on the Gaza, Lebanon, and Syrian borders; and the rising dissatisfaction with the current gov't...
Things are not so rosy. Maybe not bad, because the problems are all surmountable, but definitely not rosy.
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