in Netanyahu's speech last night opening the Likud electoral campaign, Bibi announced a major focus of his will now be changing the system of elections. He wants to somehow change the system to a two-party system, and claims to move on this right after his next government will be formed. The two parties, he says, will be the two large parties, Likud and Labor, the largest of which will form the government. The government will not fall on simple coalition squabbles and threats but will need an extreme majority and will only be allowed to happen on extreme issues.
1. I am in favor of such a system. I always have been. Our government clearly needs more stability. The problem is that I don't see how he can possibly form a coalition on this issue when his future coalition partners would basically in effect putting themselves out of business (or at least curbing their own influence a lot).
The only way I can see this actually happening is by forming, after the elections, a national unity government with Labor, and leaving all the other parties out (or at most keeping them as minor partners). This might not portend well for the Haredi parties that are extremely optimistic and hopeful about their being major partners in the next government.
2. At the same time, Feiglin resigned from the Likud. I don't see how his political career can be anything but over at this point, though he may surprise us all. Resigning from the Likud and forming his own party, or joining another party, is against everything he has said over the past 15 years.
If he is now saying that his work of the past 15-20 was entirely wrong, why would anybody (but his most dedicated supporters) follow him in the future - maybe his new approach is just as wrong? he has clearly shown, by his own admission, poor judgment.
And even if he does, and he pulls in a large majority of his supporters, which is not a given and is my generous assumption for the purpose of this post, he just doesn't have enough to get himself into any leadership positions. He does not have enough to even get himself a Knesset seat. And even if he puts togeter enough deals with other groups and parties that he finds a way to get himself in, he'll be another small and uninfluential "one issue" party.
As I have said before, I think it is a shame. In my opinion Feiglin will be sorely missed. I liked his approach, I agreed with many of his issues, and I would have liked him to find a way to stay on, perhaps with more realistic goals.
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