Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., September 12, 2008 Elul 12, 5768 | | Israel Time: 08:58 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar 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 - 02:33 08/09/2008 The Kadima circus By Haaretz Editorial Tags: Tzipi Livni, Meir Sheetrit  Never has Kadima more closely resembled a "political refugee camp," as Ehud Barak defined it during yesterday's cabinet vote on Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann's bill to limit the Supreme Court's authority. Friedmann managed at the last minute to bring before the cabinet a legal change he has been dreaming of his entire term. The cabinet approved the bill in an atmosphere of hysteria and mudslinging, and passed it on to the Knesset to continue the legislative process. Friedmann was selected by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert mainly to show up the justice system, which Olmert believed was hampering his rule. That happened right after Haim Ramon, who is close to Olmert, was forced to step down as justice minister because he forcibly kissed a female soldier. Over the past year an absurd situation has been created whereby a prime minister suspected of criminal offenses and a justice minister already convicted have formed an unholy alliance with a justice minister seeking fundamental reforms in the justice system. The revolution might even have succeeded if the Labor Party had not stood in the way to oppose the changes. It turned out yesterday that this was not enough. Although the Labor ministers voted against the change in the Basic Law on the Judiciary, they could not prevent the outcome - a bare majority approved the bill 13 to 12. Advertisement The vote to amend the Basic Law on the Judiciary is another manifestation, apparently the last, of vindictiveness and petty wheeling and dealing by the prime minister and his deputy against the justice system. Both Olmert and Ramon realized that the bill has no chance of passing in the poor version brought before the cabinet yesterday, without taking into account the Neeman Committee's recommendations, which tried to soften it, without public and academic debate and with the over-enthusiastic support of a convicted minister and suspected prime minister. In fact, the vote was an infuriating demonstration of petty politics in which Kadima split its vote into two camps: Those whose future is behind them voted for the bill, while those who hope to save Kadima from oblivion voted against. The glue holding Kadima's members together was Ariel Sharon and the Gaza disengagement; Kadima has not managed to formulate a civilian agenda, as yesterday's vote clearly showed. Very little connects Ruhama Avraham-Balila, who voted for the bill, with Avi Dichter, who voted against. Can some encouragement be derived from the fact that every candidate to lead Kadima voted against the prime minister, his deputy and the justice minister, and can we conclude that the new cabinet one of them will establish will not move the bill ahead in its present form? What can be learned from the fact that ministers Meir Sheetrit and Dichter, who voted against the draft law, voted for it in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation that convened immediately thereafter? Could they not have demanded that this ministerial committee meeting, where they were obligated to vote the cabinet's position, be held after Olmert stepped down? In the last days before the Kadima primary, Tzipi Livni, Shaul Mofaz, Dichter and Sheetrit should speak out clearly. One of this foursome will apparently be the next prime minister. Their tendency to blunt their messages might be understandable to their political advisers but it is insufferable from a public point of view. Bookmark to del.icio.us   'I didn't kill Rose' Rose's mother, grandfather request court delay autopsy of body found in Yarkon River. Israeli requests Israel asks U.S. for arms and permission to use an air corridor to attack Iran.   1.   Kadima Has Become Another Labor Party! VOTE LIKUD! 08:00  |  Baruch Gold 08/09/08   2.   livni is lovely 20:15  |  frenz 08/09/08   3.   editorial; is this Haaretz.... or Davar? 00:29  |  moshe 09/09/08   4.   To frenz # 2 - Livni is lovely..... 10:52  |  Dagma 10/09/08   5.   To frenz # 2 - Your specific taste does not matter here 10:59  |  The Threadmill 10/09/08   6.   If Livni is thinking of pleasing Condi...... 11:19  |  Dolly 10/09/08   7.   We do not need Livni 11:31  |  netta 10/09/08   8.   To frenz # 2 - Your specific taste is not relevant 13:46  |  The Threadmill 10/09/08   9.   Livni is Irrelevant 14:24  |  Dagma 10/09/08   10.   Kadima - A veritable Circus 14:30  |  Josephus 10/09/08   11.   when next tzipi visits her fathers grave 17:05  |  honey bunch 11/09/08   12.   Kadima is a very bad circus and must leave town NOW!. 04:00  |  Chaim 12/09/08

Read & React Israel asks U.S. for arms, air corridor to attack Iran Responses: 394 Court delays autopsy of body found in Yarkon River Responses: 21 Nasrallah: No peace in Middle East as long as Israel exists Responses: 162 Rights group: West Bank settlers grab more Palestinian land Responses: 79 Tom Segev: Seven years after 9/11, American dream shows signs of renewal Responses: 58 More Headlines 07:24 Abbas to Haaretz: Peace deal unlikely this year 07:29 Police: Likelihood that this is Rose's body is very high 08:13 Austrian court unfreezes $10m of Palestinian terror group's funds 04:26 PM vows to resign as soon as new Kadima leader chosen 05:27 Who are the 100 most influential people in Israel? 05:03 Pollsters use new gadget to gauge Mofaz, Livni credibility 07:41 Canada PM's holiday cards raise concern over religious profiling 03:17 Eskimos at the Kinneret? No, you aren't hallucinating 04:45 Reports of child abuse nearly doubled in past decade 06:10 New simulator tests stress level of IAF pilots 05:46 Israeli firm wins contract to explore under Alaskan volcano 20:16 N.Y. football teams may sell naming rights to company with Nazi ties 23:10 McCain, Obama campaigns call political ceasefire for 9/11 22:34 VIDEO: IAF grounds Cobras after crash kills two pilots Previous Editions Select Day 11 sep 10 sep 09 sep 08 sep 07 sep 05 sep 04 sep 03 sep 02 sep 01 sep 31 aug 29 aug

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved