Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., December 30, 2008 Tevet 3, 5769 | | Israel Time: 12:49 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Joy of Giving Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 19:41 28/12/2008
ANALYSIS / With Gaza raid, Barak is back in the political ring
By Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gaza, Israel, Hamas 

Two months after Ehud Olmert was elected as Israel's prime minister, the Second Lebanon War broke out. Two months before Olmert departs, the military campaign in the south breaks out.

But Olmert isn't the story here; he's on his way to the Prime Minister's Bureau pensioners' ward. Ehud Barak is the story here. The man who, until yesterday, had to remind the Israeli voter of his existence with self-ridicule on billboards and satirical shows is returning to the political ring with force. In the coming days, weeks maybe, Barak will stand in he center of the public's attention. For better or worse, he's in his element.

The beginning of the raid in Gaza bears the wily and deceptive fingerprint of Barak, the Israel Defense Forces most highly decorated combat soldier. This does not make him the most suitable candidate for the premiership, but it may deliver him and his party from the humiliating defeat the polls are predicting.
Advertisement
Who knows, maybe even Barak's performance in Eretz Nehederet ("A Wonderful Country") was part of the disinformation effort. Hamas might have thought that if the Israeli minister of defense has enough spare time for making a fool out of himself, then an attack can't be too close.

In case of failure, Barak will not be able to hide behind the prime minister, who is nearing the end of his political road, nor will he be able to point an accusing finger at a pilot chief-of-staff or an untrained army. The failure will be all his.

In case of success, no one will be able to take it away from him. If, by the end of the operation, the general sentiment will be that Israel has once again failed to meet its goals, if rockets continue to land and Gilad Shalit remain captive, the public will turn their anger at Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and power will drop like a ripe fruit into Benjamin Netanyahu's lap.

But if Hamas is beaten and Israel receives some peace under favorable terms, Labor and Barak may gain force, primarily at the expense of Kadima and Livni.

The political deck of cards has been reshuffled. The "negative" campaigns have been put on ice. All that has attracted our attention thus far - the lists, the crossovers, the new faces - has been rendered irrelevant.

History teaches us that military campaigns which occur during election campaigns - such as Grapes of Wrath in 1996 or the intifada in 2001 - benefit the right wing more than any other camp. In any case, it's too early for guesses as to how this will all pan out.

One thing is clear to Israel's leaders. What matters is the bottom line. The end result will determine whether they will receive a citation or a humiliation.

Related articles:
  • One Israeli killed, 4 hurt as Palestinian rockets hit Negev home
  • At least 205 dead, over 200 hurt in IAF Gaza strikes
  • ANALYSIS / IAF strike on Gaza is Israel's version of 'shock and awe'
  • IN PICTURES / Gaza under attack
  • Bradley Burston / The worst anti-Israel charges you'll hear in wartime
  • U.S. demands Hamas end terrorist acts, urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties
  • Israeli Arabs react with violence to IDF operations in Gaza
  • Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign
  • Army readies for 'limited' Gaza action as 22 mortars hit Negev
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Army of martyrs
    Iran clerics enlist volunteers to fight 'Zionist regime' in Gaza.
    New anti-Semitism
    Greek paper: World Jewish plutocracy behind Gaza strife, global financial crisis.
      1.   I reckon it will be "ripe fruit" then... 04:37  |  BBSNews 28/12/08
      2.   barak is back in th political ring... 07:25  |  igor 28/12/08
      3.   Barak is still going to lose all see this as a political move 07:53  |  Judea 28/12/08
      4.   After 8 years of bombing of Southern Israel 10:26  |  Ethan 28/12/08
      5.   Personal war. 10:27  |  Colin 28/12/08
      6.   obesity 11:06  |  Yaacob 28/12/08
      7.   thanks to the Gazans 11:20  |  thanks to the Gazans 28/12/08
      8.   #1 BBSNews 11:24  |  S 28/12/08
      9.   Barak gets a War Woody 12:14  |  Clickfool 28/12/08
      10.   Put it into perspective for us, Ethan # 4 12:24  |  Clickfool 28/12/08
      11.   BARAK MUST GO ON TRIAL FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY 13:56  |  JH 28/12/08
      12.   Iran`s puppets 15:28  |  Colin 28/12/08
     Read & React
    Rockets fired from Gaza kill 2 Israelis within hour
    Responses: 189
    ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation
    Responses: 80
    Grossman / Is Israel imprisoned in the ceremony of war?
    Responses: 70
    Prolonged Gaza operation spells trouble for Israel
    Responses: 21
    Chicago synagogue firebombed; police probe possible link to Gaza violence
    Send response


    More Headlines
    12:23 Gaza rocket slams into home in Sderot, injuring one
    12:22 Peres: Hamas rockets from Gaza on Israel 'have no point, no logic'
    12:49 IAF strike kills top Hamas commander in Gaza
    02:58 ANALYSIS / Hamas is hoping for an IDF ground operation
    10:09 IDF war games predict look of Gaza ground operation
    12:29 ANALYSIS / Israel's operation in Gaza is entering its problematic phase
    12:00 Chicago synagogue firebombed; police probe possible link to Gaza violence
    11:33 WATCH: Israel's attack on Gaza from the missiles' viewpoint
    16:50 IN PICTURES / Firestorm over Gaza
    12:35 4-year-old who lost parents in Mumbai attack dies of long-term illness
    11:15 Pro-Palestinian activists say Israel Navy fired on protest boat off Gaza shore
    02:18 David Grossman / Is Israel too imprisoned in the familiar ceremony of war?
    11:31 France, Britain look to impose cease-fire in bid to halt Gaza operation
    08:12 UN official says Israel responsible for breaking truce with Gaza
    02:44 Amira Hass / Uncertainty and bombing keep Gazans awake and fearful of who will be next
    11:26 Amos Oz: Hamas responsible for outbreak of Gaza violence
    05:08 Gaza hospitals 'overwhelmed' by wounded from IDF strikes
    08:01 No rest for the shell-shocked in Ashkelon shelters
    Previous Editions
    Special Offers
    Advertisement
    Summer in Israel
    Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009
    SURF RAMBAM
    Keep current about new-wave medical care, education and research.
    Summer Camp in Israel
    The best place for your children this summer
    Academic Studies in Israel
    All the Q & A at the IDC HERZLIYA Open House, January 9,2009
    Fattal Hotel Chain
    Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel.
    Car rental in Israel
    Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates.
    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
    Hebrew Summer courses
    From $39.95
    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