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Last update - 20:48 06/11/2008
Barak: Kadima 'a party of air', Netanyahu like 'Santa Claus'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Yitzhak Rabin, Israel News 

Defense Minister and Labor chair Ehud Barak leveled harsh criticism at the Kadima party during at a Labor party convention Thursday, calling it "a party of air", adding "there's no telling how it will handle itself when it faced with reality."

Barak also tried to distance the party from the Israeli peace movement, saying "Kadima has nothing connecting it to the Peace Camp".

Barak also spoke against Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu, and brushing aside his proposals to tackle the financial crises by referring to him as 'Santa Claus". Barak also spoke of the Likud's new recruits, saying "although they are decent honest people, their views do not align with reality".
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Barak stated that the Likud's approaches will lead Israel to a conflict with the free world, or worse, with the entire region. "With these exact approaches this group has already failed in leading this entire country" he said.

Earlier on Thursday, at a memorial ceremony for assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, Barak warned of further political murders in Israel by "cancerous" groups of religious right-wing extremists.

"The seed of calamity has already been sewn, it has been sewn in messianic groups. They aren't many, but like a cancerous growth they are deadly. We must not ignore this and must work to uproot it," he said.

Assassin Yigal Amir shot Rabin three times on November 4, 1995. Amir wanted to stop the peace process Rabin initiated with the Palestinians.

"The writing was on the wall [then]. Today it is also on the wall - with larger and clearer letters, and unequivocally," Barak added.

The defense minister was echoing comments made recently by other senior Israeli officials.

Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer said on Tuesday, the anniversary of Rabin's murder, that the next political assassination was "around the corner."

On Sunday, Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin told the cabinet that a government decision to evacuate more territory may lead to a large-scale violent conflict with settlers, complete with live fire.

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      1.   barak`s extreme language shames our nation 18:53  |  wendy 06/11/08
      2.   INCITEMENT for the sake of incitement 19:07  |  Arie 06/11/08
      3.   Baraks strategy will backfire 19:31  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 06/11/08
      4.   Thats a Disgrace 19:33  |  Ronald 06/11/08
      5.   #1 Wendy - What is "uncivilized and unacceptable" 19:37  |  Yonatan 06/11/08
      6.   Since this is such a perilous time in Israel.... 20:00  |  Esther 06/11/08
      7.   Trying to stir up public against a few "cancerous" individuals? 20:03  |  bat yam 06/11/08
      8.   Barak = NG, But His Warning Must Be Heeded 20:14  |  Tod Zuckerman 06/11/08
      9.   Barak 20:21  |  A.J. Myers 06/11/08
      10.   Barak is problematic... 20:23  |  Esther 06/11/08
      11.   Barak due to become political history come the elections 20:35  |  Yaakov K. 06/11/08
      12.   Why `cancerous` religious ...... 20:55  |  Dagma 06/11/08
      13.   kadima made of air, Bibi is like santa, Barak is like forest gump 21:01  |  zionist forever 06/11/08
      14.   Barak is a failed politician who knows he will lose the election 21:12  |  Realist 06/11/08
      15.   If he were only playing politics.. 21:17  |  Ilan 06/11/08
      16.   Mr. Barak,... in letting off some steam. 21:51  |  Stephen. 06/11/08
      17.   The truth is that Barak is a vast disappointment... 22:04  |  Esther 06/11/08
      18.   MORE HILARITY FROM ISRAELS CLOWN PRINCE 22:25  |  v.hardman 06/11/08
      19.   Barak Backwards 22:59  |  David Zion 06/11/08
      20.   If only Barak were blessed with wisdom... 23:00  |  Esther 06/11/08
      21.   Barak is a radical peace appeaser 23:07  |  Ken Jurist 06/11/08
      22.   Barak is a lying leftist 23:15  |  David Stoler 06/11/08
      23.   Attn. Barak: Labour is disappearing. THAT is reality. 02:11  |  Chaim 07/11/08
      24.   And Labor 02:33  |  Mark Lincoln 07/11/08
      25.   What choices 02:35  |  Mark Lincoln 07/11/08
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