[[{"content_id":"21425","domain_id":"0","lang_id":"en","portal_id":"2","owner_id":"29","user_id":"1","view_accesslevel_id":"0","edit_accesslevel_id":"0","delete_accesslevel_id":"0","editor_id":"0","content_title":"Winners and losers of new Israeli colation government","content_number":"0","content_date_event":"2012-05-09 11:53:00","content_summary":"","content_summary_fill":"0","content_body":"Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly crafted a new coalition government to avoid early elections. But there were winners and losers under the decision.\r\nNetanyahu himself is the big winner: he avoided the uncertainty of elections and having to fight off a renewed Labor, still-relevant Kadima, and fresh Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid's new party).\r\nEhud Barak also won big. Michael Koplow over at Ottomans and Zionists has a nice explanation why, but in a nutshell he staved off the strong possibility that his faction, Atzmaut, would have disappeared in the election without enough votes to enter the Knesset.\r\nShaul Mofaz also comes out a winner: he managed to enter the government without having to worry about an election; he did what Tzipi Livni was unable to do (join the coalition); and as a former senior general will now help shape the discussion over Iran and the peace process (he doesn't care that much about the social justice issues sparked by the J14 protests).\r\nThe biggest losers are: Tzipi Livni (having never met the expectations set out for her, she lost the leadership of Kadima to Mofaz, who then did what she couldn't do and took the party into government); public confidence in the political process (since Mofaz had railed against Bibi's leadership and insisted he wouldn't join a Bibi-led government); and Yair Lapid (because he had his legs completely cut out from under him).","content_html":"


Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu suddenly crafted a new coalition government to avoid early elections. But there were winners and losers under the decision.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

Netanyahu himself is the big winner: he avoided the uncertainty of elections and having to fight off a renewed Labor, still-relevant Kadima, and fresh Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid's new party).<\/font><\/p>\r\n

Ehud Barak also won big. Michael Koplow over at Ottomans and Zionists has a nice explanation why, but in a nutshell he staved off the strong possibility that his faction, Atzmaut, would have disappeared in the election without enough votes to enter the Knesset.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

Shaul Mofaz also comes out a winner: he managed to enter the government without having to worry about an election; he did what Tzipi Livni was unable to do (join the coalition); and as a former senior general will now help shape the discussion over Iran and the peace process (he doesn't care that much about the social justice issues sparked by the J14 protests).<\/font><\/p>\r\n

The biggest losers are: Tzipi Livni (having never met the expectations set out for her, she lost the leadership of Kadima to Mofaz, who then did what she couldn't do and took the party into government); public confidence in the political process (since Mofaz had railed against Bibi's leadership and insisted he wouldn't join a Bibi-led government); and Yair Lapid (because he had his legs completely cut out from under him).<\/font><\/p>","content_source":null,"content_url":null,"content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2012-05-09 11:53:00","content_date_finish":"2012-05-09 11:53:00","content_date_register":"2012-05-09 11:53:00","content_date_last_edit":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"1","content_show_related_img":"1","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"0","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"1","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"21419","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":null,"attach_date_register":null,"attach_id":null,"attach_file_ext":null,"attach_file_header":null,"attach_img_type":null,"attach_img_width":null,"attach_img_height":null,"attach_file_media":null,"attach_show_watermark":null,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"283","visit_date_last":"2025-05-09 19:44:18","attach_title":null,"node_title":"Commentaries","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":134, \"left\":25, \"right\":26}]"}]]