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Last update - 07:03 19/09/2008
Kadima divided after Livni's victory, Mofaz exit
By Yossi Verter
Tags: Tzipi Livni, Kadima 

On the eve of the Kadima primary, Shaul Mofaz was asked about threats by Tzipi Livni and Roni Bar-On to quit Kadima if he won. "Livni is not a loyal person," he said angrily. "Kadima is holding democratic elections for the first time and MKs will refuse to accept the results?"

He pledged that if he lost, he would stay and help the elected leader.

Thursday, after Livni won the primary, Mofaz quit. His confidants said he was deeply hurt. For weeks the media portrayed him as a wheeler-dealer, a functionary, a politician of the "old" sort versus the fresh, new, "other" politician. He had swallowed his pride, but last night he felt he had fallen into an ambush set up by the media and academia. Keeping the polling stations open longer, while broadcasting the erroneous exit polls on three channels 15 minutes before the polls' closing broke him.
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His people said that dozens of voters standing in line heard the exit polls predicting a clear victory for Livni and simply turned around and went home. Is this what he deserves after 40 years of impeccable military and security service? they asked.

But it wasn't just the insult. Mofaz does not regard Livni highly. He cannot imagine working for her, reporting to her, waiting outside her office. For him the razor-thin loss was the most galling. Had he lost by a wide margin he wouldn't have flinched.

His resignation statement was dignified. He blamed nobody. He was a bit vague on the timetable but he is not likely to change his mind. After all, he is an officer and a gentleman.

His resignation is a harsh blow to Livni and Kadima. Since the party's establishment, Shimon Peres, Ariel Sharon and Mofaz have resigned, each for his own reasons. Ehud Olmert will go soon and Haim Ramon may be on his way out. If he goes, Livni will be in trouble. Thursday she lost Kadima's most prominent Mizrahi representative as well as the man most identified with security.

Some observers speculated Thursday that Mofaz was heading back to Likud, to be Benjamin Netanyahu's defense minister. This is unlikely. Even Mofaz knows there's a limit to the number of times a man can flip-flop. Besides, Netanyahu has already promised that position to five people.

Mofaz's announcement left his supporters - ministers and MKs - stunned and lost. Nobody had expected the move. His people were convinced that after the election results he would demand the foreign ministry. An old acquaintance said he tried to find Mofaz Thursday morning but was told he had gone home to rest and would wake up in the evening. "I immediately suspected something," he said. "A man like Mofaz going to rest on such a day? That's so unlike him."


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      1.   ISRAEL WILL SOON LEARN QUICK THE MISTAKE IT MADE 03:20  |  ANI 19/09/08
      2.   Mofaz go back make peace with Likud 04:26  |  Shepherd 19/09/08
      3.   Kadima is a superpower of Division. 05:10  |  Akram Zekaria 19/09/08
      4.   Kadima primary. 05:43  |  sandra chitayat 19/09/08
      5.   Mofaz is right to leave kadima;no one wants to work for a failed 05:51  |  glenna 19/09/08
      6.   Livni: stewardess of a sinking ship 06:03  |  Ilan 19/09/08
      7.   The old spin-motif of "division" used foolishly by Yossi Verter. 06:22  |  Fortuna Benmayor 19/09/08
      8.   Kadima`s Primaries the Country`s Biggest Joke 07:40  |  Pathfinder 19/09/08
      9.   "An officer and a Gentleman"? 07:50  |  Jonathan 19/09/08
      10.   To be expected... 07:54  |  Dolly 19/09/08
      11.   Mistakes/ uninformed 08:03  |  Dov G 19/09/08
      12.   Congrats to Mofaz for doing the right thing.... 08:20  |  Dagma 19/09/08
      13.   Mofaz, shame on you 08:27  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/09/08
      14.   #12, Dagma, mistaken 08:47  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/09/08
      15.   Mofaz will be joining Likud. 09:00  |  Josephus 19/09/08
      16.   Ya, bigotry is always sad... 09:16  |  Esther 19/09/08
      17.   Cipora #13.... most aptly said...concur entirely... 09:18  |  Esther 19/09/08
      18.   Jonathan #9.... Ya, his nobility is truly laughable... 09:24  |  Esther 19/09/08
      19.   7 million in Israel and 40,000 vote and thats not acceptable 09:32  |  Shepherd 19/09/08
      20.   Me, me, me 09:34  |  Shosh 19/09/08
      21.   Mofaz is a big Baby 09:43  |  Steven 19/09/08
      22.   Watch out now for Kadima trying to become Likud.... 09:57  |  Dagma 19/09/08
      23.   DAGMA # 22 - Right you are. 10:18  |  The Truthful one 19/09/08
      24.   #17, Esther 10:24  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/09/08
      25.   Esther, Cipora 10:27  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/09/08
      26.   Mofaz+Co. leaving = The best thing that could happen to Kadima 10:32  |  Swiss (Dino) 19/09/08
      27.   Kadima is like Band on Titanic fighting over which music to play 11:03  |  Alan SA 19/09/08
      28.   Wow, he`s better than Barak and Netanyahu! 11:41  |  David Teich 19/09/08
      29.   has the traitors bandwaggon stopped rolling 11:41  |  v.hardman 19/09/08
      30.   #21 dino the dope an election tomorrow would give likud 70 seats 12:11  |  v.hardman 19/09/08
      31.   Cipora #24 12:37  |  Esther 19/09/08
      32.   Margie #25... ya, it was an "elegant" tantrum... 12:40  |  Esther 19/09/08
      33.   # 29 v.hardman 12:50  |  Swiss (Dino) 19/09/08
      34.   Kadima divided 13:03  |  Ralph 19/09/08
      35.   Kadima is finished, it has lost the Mizrahi vote 13:08  |  S Judah 19/09/08
      36.   Mofaz 13:20  |  Dani 19/09/08
      37.   Verter 13:32  |  EZ 19/09/08
      38.   It is essential Olmert resigns immediately. 13:33  |  Sarah 19/09/08
      39.   CJK #13, 14 13:34  |  EZ 19/09/08
      40.   RELAAXX, MOFAZ, BROTHER 13:35  |  indrajaya 19/09/08
      41.   Parasites: Ahekenazi secular ultra left media ! 13:45  |  Dr Levy 19/09/08
      42.   Must be difficult to swallow to loose against woman 13:48  |  Observer 19/09/08
      43.   Dr Levy 15:38  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/09/08
      44.   Kadima and the Tower of Babylon ! 16:07  |  Akram Zekaria 19/09/08
      45.   The 1% 16:38  |  Arie 19/09/08
      46.   Mofaz resignation - sexism is alive and well in Israel 18:01  |  Batya Bauman 19/09/08
      47.   David Teich`s post 18:08  |  Batya Bauman 19/09/08
      48.   So Mofaz not only spat his dummy out 18:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/09/08
      49.   Mofaz does deserve some credit for quitting loathesome Kadima. 19:51  |  Chaim 19/09/08
      50.   There should be a Runoff 21:08  |  steve dill 19/09/08
      51.   # 14 Cipora Julianna Kohn - A delicate time? 23:18  |  Dagma 19/09/08
      52.   The damage has been down by Kadima and end of the mission 23:24  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 19/09/08
      53.   Mofaz remains a member of Kadima 00:28  |  Afikoman 20/09/08
      54.   Cipora, Mofaz didn`t say or act the way you describe him. 04:08  |  Anat 20/09/08
      55.   The damage has been done by Kadima and end of their mission 04:27  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 20/09/08
      56.   #48 lintwit and the politicians who dont care what their elector 06:30  |  v.hardman 20/09/08
      57.   #51, Dagma 07:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 20/09/08
      58.   Anat Be`emet! 10:00  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/09/08
      59.   A Gov`t OF The People , FOR The People , BY The People 16:26  |  Joseph.E 20/09/08
      60.   59: Joseph`s another uneducated fool 13:30  |  David Teich 22/09/08
      61.   To Cipora Cohn 22:26  |  Otto Rand 23/09/08
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