Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., August 06, 2008 Av 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 04:04 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 02:54 04/08/2008
Netanyahu: Kadima is selling Jerusalem to our enemies
By Yair Ettinger and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Primaries, Kadima 

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused rival faction Kadima of planning to make sweeping concessions over Jerusalem to the Palestinians.

"For the first time in the history of our nation, we come upon a development that we are unfamiliar with and that we cannot remember whereby the ruling party in our midst will come and offer up Jerusalem even to the worst of our enemies," Netanyahu said during an appearance at a Jerusalem conference commemorating 70 years since the founding of the Rabbi Kook Institute.

Also in attendance at the event was Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who uncharacteristically showered praise on the Likud chairman. Yosef referred to Netanyahu as "my dear, beloved friend" who "does a great deal for the Torah."
Advertisement
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Sunday vowed to form a coalition government before local authority elections on November 11.

"Israel does not need general elections now, in light of the existential challenges facing us," Mofaz said, during his speech at an election rally for the Kiryat Ono municipal elections.

Mofaz, who is locked in what is widely regarded to be a two-person race for the Kadima chairmanship against Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said last Friday that the latest poll numbers indicating an advantage in favor of his rival in the Kadima Party primaries in September are bound to change.

"I wouldn't advise anyone to base the future on polls," Mofaz said on Friday.

"[The polls] are a mood, and this will change. I'm sure that I will win the primaries."

Livni would lead Kadima to victory over Likud if elections were held today, according to a special poll conducted by Dialog last Thursday on behalf of Haaretz.

For all the bitter struggle between Livni and Mofaz, Thursday's poll, conducted a day after Olmert announced that he would not seek re-election as Kadima's leader, shows that the foreign minister is the only politician who currently has enough public support to defeat Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.

The poll of 503 Israelis, which has a margin of error of 4.1 percent, showed that in national elections, Kadima headed by Livni would win 26 seats in the Knesset, compared to 25 for Likud under Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has consistently led in the polls for the past two years, but Thursday's survey seems to indicate that the political arena is changing.

Kadima members fuming at Livni
Senior Kadima members have harsh words for Livni for refusing to make a public promise to stay in Kadima even if she loses the party's leadership race.

"It is very strange that Livni, who prides herself on being among the party's founders, is unwilling to state explicitly that this is her home. It raises questions and looks really bad from a public standpoint," one prominent party member said.

The issue arose in the past few days, prompted by a "candidate declaration" being drafted by Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and MK Tzachi Hanegbi, the latter of whom who heads Kadima's committee for party affairs. The declaration includes a commitment to remain in the party, as well as a promise to reserve the second spot on the list for the candidate who takes second place in the primary.

Associates of Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said he is expected to support the document, and in any event intends to stay in Kadima, as he has announced previously. By contrast, Livni's confidants took the line that "she intends to win, and isn't dealing with other things."

Kadima's Knesset faction convenes Tuesday for the first time since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announced he would not seek reelection, and will discuss the "candidate declaration."

At a campaign rally last night in Kiryat Ono a few hours after Mofaz returned from a visit to the United States, he announced that after winning the primary he would form a national unity government, even before the municipal elections scheduled for November 11.

"We don't need [general] elections at a time like this when such complex matters are on the agenda. We must form a national unity government and contend with these challenges," Mofaz said.

The rally, which was held for Kadima's candidate for mayor of Kiryat Ono, Ami Kahlon, was attended by ministers and Knesset members, including Livni, who entered the hall only after Mofaz had exited by another door. Associates of both candidates said it was a mere coincidence, not an effort to prevent their meeting.

Mofaz and Livni both showered praise on the young Kahlon, who is among the party's former Likudniks. Others who praised him at the rally were ministers Gideon Ezra, Roni Bar-On, and Ruhama Avraham-Balila, as well as MKs Hanegbi, Yohanan Plesner and Abraham Hirchson.

Livni and Mofaz have been busy recruiting support from faction members, and have more meetings lined up with all of its ministers and MKs, with their eyes on the quadruple prize: Vice Premier Haim Ramon, Bar-On, Itzik and Hanegbi. These four have the power to influence the party rank-and-file, and the word is that all are still on the fence.

Related articles:
  • Livni, Mofaz vie for support of fellow Kadima ministers
  • Mofaz on Iran: We won't allow a second Holocaust to occur
  • Israel is looking for a leader and an agenda, but can't seem to find either
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    New bestsellers
    Three children's books about the US presidential race to be published soon.
    False accusation
    Pentagon admits it wrongly accused Jewish army engineer of spying for Israel.
      1.   Talk about `grasping at straws` 22:47  |  Rowan Berkeley 03/08/08
      2.   how about the stuff "under the rug" 23:44  |  Zev Davis 03/08/08
      3.   AH PUT A SOCK IN IT NETANYAHU YOU JUST WANT VOTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 00:43  |  *AVI 04/08/08
      4.   Kadima selling Jerusalem 01:18  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 04/08/08
      5.   ... and the games start! 01:18  |  Sharif Hafez 04/08/08
      6.   Mofaz "Israel does not need general elections now" 01:22  |  Joseph.E 04/08/08
      7.   AND THAT IS THE HEADLINE OF TRUTH!DISMANTLE KADIMA AND FORM A NEW 01:28  |  glenna 04/08/08
      8.   #4, Rabbi, Jewish lightning! 01:40  |  Wally Shu 04/08/08
      9.   Livni is only for Livni 01:52  |  Nemesis 04/08/08
      10.   not selling but sold 02:10  |  yosi 04/08/08
      11.   Stolen land 02:11  |  Truth 04/08/08
      12.   "special poll conducted by Dialog" 02:30  |  ZADOK 04/08/08
      13.   # 5 Sharif Hafez 02:54  |  Joseph.E 04/08/08
      14.   Hog-wash of fear-mongering 03:28  |  Akiva P 04/08/08
      15.   Politicians and religious leaders. 03:30  |  sandra chitayat 04/08/08
      16.   The curse of the Left who dosent seems to care or repent. 03:54  |  Akram Zekaria 04/08/08
      17.   EVERY TIME I READ ABOUT "NETANYAHU" 04:41  |  indrajaya 04/08/08
      18.   Jerusalem,Israel,s capital 04:45  |  Michael 04/08/08
      19.   #4 Lazaros. America`s running broke. 05:03  |  Maureen Ann 04/08/08
      20.   Rowan - Statistician You Ain`t 06:07  |  Fish 04/08/08
      21.   This is what happens when a party believes in nothing 06:16  |  Raymond in DC 04/08/08
      22.   well 06:18  |  schlock 04/08/08
      23.   Jerusalem is Jewish and should remain Jewish. 07:38  |  Jean Van Daem 04/08/08
      24.   We have already lost Jerusalem to our enemies 07:40  |  SJ 04/08/08
      25.   No rights to Arabs on Jerusalem 07:41  |  Jean Van Daem 04/08/08
      26.   Zero Sum Game 08:39  |  Jeff 04/08/08
      27.   To Joseph E # 6 - Kadima`s Legacy of Nothingness but FAILURES 08:52  |  Natasha 04/08/08
      28.   It looked on the TV at though Hirschson was sitting next to Mofaz 09:01  |  Bruno 04/08/08
      29.   To schlock # 16 - PALESTINE.... 09:17  |  Dagma 04/08/08
      30.   # 9 to nemesis re: livni vs mofaz vs netanyahu 09:23  |  eric 04/08/08
      31.   They will suffer whoever gives away Jewish land to the Arabs 09:32  |  Dolly 04/08/08
      32.   "Macht macht recht" is always temporary, will backfire 09:49  |  Ivar 04/08/08
      33.   Livni 10:06  |  Ralph 04/08/08
      34.   This kind of irresponsible `democratic` talk 10:57  |  Edith 04/08/08
      35.   Bibi Is No Better Than Olmert , Both Are Unscrupulous Cons 10:59  |  Joseph.E 04/08/08
      36.   Calling the Palestinians `the enemy` is ... 11:02  |  Edith 04/08/08
      37.   Dolly presumptious in laying to God the charge of the OCCUPATION 11:05  |  Ivar 04/08/08
      38.   Israel needs Bibi!! 11:37  |  Dr Eric 04/08/08
      39.   3000 YEARS OF HISTORY DON`T LIE 11:42  |  Observer 04/08/08
      40.   # 27 Natasha 12:05  |  Joseph.E 04/08/08
      41.   The ultimate terror-monger... 12:46  |  Esther 04/08/08
      42.   #30....eric 13:24  |  Nemesis 04/08/08
      43.   To Joseph E # 35 - The Decision for `War` may have been shared 14:38  |  Dagma 04/08/08
      44.   3000 years of history very murky to Jews today 15:05  |  Ivar 04/08/08
      45.   The most crucial of those 3000 years were the 490 of Daniel 9 15:20  |  Ivar 04/08/08
      46.   39, politically biased archeology threatens Jewish archeology 15:31  |  Ivar 04/08/08
      47.   Jerusalem not for sale,sez who ?? 16:35  |  Sarah 04/08/08
      48.   Netanyahu is right 16:54  |  Brod 04/08/08
      49.   DELETED BY MODERATOR 17:06  |  Tosefta 04/08/08
      50.   Netanyahu`s perspective on Jerusalem not accomodating... 17:54  |  Smadar 04/08/08
      51.   #50 Ivar One gets a feeling that.... 18:05  |  Big Sur 04/08/08
      52.   Belfor & Belfore 18:07  |  Serdar KASAPOGLU 04/08/08
      53.   Who is Slowman from #61? What is "I..." Nos 45-59 trying to say? 18:21  |  S 04/08/08
      54.   We`re just grudgingly admitting... 18:35  |  Esther 04/08/08
      55.   In defence of Slowman.... 19:16  |  Esther 04/08/08
      56.   #30..eric 20:00  |  Nemesis 04/08/08
      57.   Serdar kasapoglu 20:57  |  David Israel 04/08/08
      58.   these traitorous gangsters, have sold all of israel 21:39  |  chaim 04/08/08
      59.   Ester, we need your help. 21:54  |  Ibrahim 04/08/08
      60.   Israel Can Do Better Than Netanyahu 22:05  |  Gray 04/08/08
      61.   To Glenna from Alaska 22:14  |  Otto Rand 04/08/08
      62.   #59...Ibrahim`s denial 22:31