The Russian-Israeli community is important to Kadima. So much so that Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, attending a community event last week in Ashdod, took care to stress that his recent remarks concerning the Russian prostitute problem "were distorted by ill-intentioned individuals." Dichter had warned that "tens of thousands of prostitutes" could enter the country if visa requirements for Russian tourists were eliminated.

The "ill-intentioned" individuals Dichter referred to were not present, and so he apologized for them before "the holy Russian public." In other words, his statements had been a slip of the tongue.

Observers could find no holy men or holy women at the conference. They could also report that Dichter need not have apologized at all, as most of the 500 participants had heard nothing of the unpleasant incident. As for the rest, they actually shared his concerns. Generally speaking, the Russian-speaking public don't think much of political correctness. If anything, they view it as a restraint on free speech. Regardless of Dichter's slipup, his party's relationship with the Russian-speaking constituency has not been rosy over the last few weeks. The Russian Kadima MKs have initiated a unilateral disengagement from their faction. The recent string of undiplomatic incidents merely exacerbated matters.