Politics in Israel is cyclical. Or maybe what I mean is that it is not uncommon for politicans to rise, fall (hard), and rise again. Bibi Netanyahu left the prime minister’s office in near disgrace some years ago, but now he has rehabilitated himself and if elections were held today, he would be the new prime minister. Ehud Barak followed Netanyahu but lasted less than two years. When he left, virtually no one in his own party would talk to him. But now he is back, and he will likely win the Labor party election this month. The current prime minister is Ehud Olmert and his approval ratings are now in the single digits (that means less than 10% for those of you who are reading this in the wee hours). But, if history holds, it is quite possible that after resigning as a failure in the near future, he too will be back. You can see some other examples of prime ministers who have returned after time away (including Ben Gurion, Rabin, and Peres).
Tonight Barak was at the moshav, speaking to a group of supporters in the conference hall. I’ve taught in that same place (heck, I’ve danced in that same place!). I slipped in the back and took his photo. What is so notable is how different security is here from the U.S. We were just having a barbecue in our front yard when we heard he was here. We walked 50 yards up the hill and there he was, speaking in the hall. No security checks, no commotion, no snipers on the roof. They did control access into the room, but you could stand 20 feet away from him outside the window. I suppose it’d be a bit different if he was current prime minister, but even so, it’s still interesting.
I saw Netanyahu when he was on the Geraldo show (in 1990), being taped in Jerusalem. And I’ve seen Olmert (he even wrote our school a nice letter). I missed Sharon, but one of our students got to shake his hand. It’s just different than the U.S.
Ehud Barak, former (and future?) prime minister of Israel
I thought I recognized that paneling in the background. That is awesome!
I really appreciated this blog. Israel is such a neat place! I feel like I can live there vicariously through this blog. I’m not sure if I’ll feel the same enthusiasm for Texas. But maybe Bush will come speak at a nearby conference while you’re there! Thank you so much for sharing your life, Todd.
I like Barak and thought he advanced the peace process in amazing ways (though, I think he promised far more than he could ever give). It was amazing to see how he was undone by Palestinian actions that essentally led to the election a hardline PM (who then began to sound a lot like Barak).
One time back in High School I was at a mall here in Dallas and literally bumped into Barak as he existed Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Shop. He kindly said, “Excuse me” and walked off flanked by a few guys in suits. As he walked away, I remembered I’d seen his face in the paper the day before and realized that I had just bumped into the former prime minister of Israel. I believe he had just left office.
Seemed like a nice guy.
SEZ