Washington Post Ties Israeli Actions in Gaza to February Elections, Olmert's Legacy

The Washington Post  reports the actions on Gaza were given the go ahead by a coalition of Ehud Barak (Defense Minister, Labor Party), Tzipi Livni  (Foreign Minister, Kadima) and Ehud Olmert (Outgoing Prime Minister, Kadima) two  of which are heading slates that will be fighting for percentages in the February elections.

They are facing off with the man who is the PM candidate for the Likud party, Binyamin Netanyahu. 

What I heard earlier was that Netanyahu's group had a big lead over the other two, but the Post notes that Labor and Kadima is "closing the gap" with their aggressive action on Gaza. 

Olmert is trying to make up for the lack of "a clear cut victory over the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in 2006".

The comment board associated with the Post report is going ballistic over the idea that starting a war as a campaign tactic.

Still, we've learned from other sources that many analysts believe that one of the major reasons for the US attacking Iraq in 2003, was the Republican assumption that such a war would good for Bush's reelection chances in 2004.

Excerpt Washington Post "Behind Gaza Operation, An Uneasy Triumvirate":

Political analysts said the looming elections forced Livni, leader of the centrist Kadima party, and Barak, head of the center-left Labor Party, to opt for military action when Hamas resumed its rocket fire in mid-December, after a six-month truce.

"With Netanyahu leading in the polls, and the security situation deteriorating, it would have killed Livni and Barak if they had let 50 or 60 rockets land every day and done nothing," said Reuven Y. Hazan, a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Indeed, among Palestinians, there is a widespread belief that the decision to launch the Gaza offensive was driven by Israeli politics. Whenever Israelis prepare to vote, they say, Palestinians suffer from Israeli shows of strength. The Gaza offensive has left at least 370 Palestinians dead. Since Saturday, four Israelis have been killed in rocket attacks.

You can note that the Post like other American news sources forgets to mention the killer blockades that Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2006, even the recent ones that had been particularly onerous to the Gaza resident which basically ensured that rockets would start flying at the end the truce.

tags: israel  gaza  tzipi livni  ehud olmert  ehud barak  bimyamin netanyahu  

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