Livni should set aside her ego for the national interest

Our politicians are once again outrageously defying the will of the people. The electorate decisively rejected the former government’s policies of extending unilateral concessions to our adversaries and the inability to adequately defend citizens under continuous missile attack. By a majority of 65 to 44 (excluding the 11 Arab mandates) the people voted in favor of the so-called national camp.

Regrettably, the hideously convoluted electoral system enabled Kadima to obtain one more mandate than Likud. Not because Kadima won the endorsement of the people but because traditional left wing supporters defected in droves from Labor and Meretz and diverted their votes to Kadima.

In contrast, on the assumption that [Likud leader Binyamin] Netanyahu becoming prime minister was a given, many supporters of the national camp diversified their support to the smaller right-wing parties.

For Kadima to suggest that this provided them with a mandate for leadership is absurd. Had there been a direct contest for prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu would indisputably have defeated Tzipi Livni by a margin of at least 2 to 1.

Zionism and the global anti-Semitic frenzy

The Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism is meeting today in London in the wake of the Gaza campaign, which ignited an exponential eruption of global anti-Semitic frenzy unprecedented since the Nazi era. The intensity of the anti-Jewish rage, frequently accompanied by acts of violence, has engendered fear and anxiety among Diaspora Jews and obliged many to seriously ponder their long-term future.

On every continent and in virtually every city, enraged demonstrators have railed against Israel and indulged in anti-Semitic calls to “boycott Jews,” “gas” them and “dismantle the Nazi Israeli state.” The anti-Jewish offensives, usually initiated by Arabs, have been supported by wide spectrums of indigenous citizens.

Jew-baiting is especially intense in the UK. Prominent Jews encounter death threats. Students at Oxford University have gleefully proclaimed that in five years, their campus “would be a Jew-free zone.” A high-ranking British diplomat was arrested after publicly launching a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade. The London-based Royal Court Theatre is staging a viciously anti-Israeli play by Caryl Churchill that Melanie Phillips described in the Spectator as reminiscent of anti-Semitic plays performed in the Middle Ages portraying Jews as demonic Christ-killers.

Why I support Likud

We stand at a crossroad. The government we are about to elect will be confronted with awesome military, political, economic and social challenges and will assume responsibility for laying the foundations for the long term future of the nation.

I have never been a member of or canvassed for a political party. Yet today I am convinced that Likud represents the best available choice to effectively lead the nation during the difficult period facing us. I therefore unashamedly hope that Likud will obtain sufficient seats to enable Binyamin Netanyahu to preside over a strong, united and disciplined government.

The incumbent government parties, Kadima and Labor, are committed to extending the same failed approach that led us into the mire in which we now find ourselves. Both Barak and Livni are assiduously avoiding any discussion about specific policies and concentrating on demonizing their opponents. Neither is willing to clarify their position on ceding territory to the Palestinians or dividing Jerusalem. All we hear are endless meaningless mantras endorsing two independent states living peacefully side by side with one another.

Leibler speaks at opening of exhibit on Holocaust survivors finding refuge in Australia

By Greer Fay Cashman
‘JERUSALEM POST’ columnist Isi Leibler, before making aliya, was president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the highest position in Australia’s Jewish community.

It was in that capacity that he was asked to speak at the opening of an exhibition at the Australian Embassy demonstrating how the Joint Distribution Committee, working closely [...]