Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press
are prepared by the Government Press Office
as a service to foreign journalists in Israel.
They express the views of the authors.
The Man Who Spun Gold into Dross
(Commentary by Nadav Haetzni, "Ma'ariv", May 18, 1999, p. A9)
He was labeled the "magician"; it was claimed that he would always manage
to fall on his feet and escape from any trouble. But, if last night's
television polls are correct, then the correct title to give Netanyahu is
-- the man who turned gold into dross.
It is not easy to do what Netanyahu did and to lose elections in the
manner that he did. Both to implement the policy of the Labor Party with
the Hebron and Wye agreements and to lose the elections with the position
of warmonger To suffer from unfair media attacks and also to turn the
media into the underdog with endless speeches like "they are afraid."
Doubtless, the adage that oppositions never win elections, but coalitions
lose them, is especially true for Netanyahu. The man who succeeded in
betraying every one of his partners and pushing away all of his supporters
brought it all upon himself.
The man who destroyed his party and bloc with his own hands. This is the
same man who should have carried the historic role as the man who would
fix the wrongs of the Oslo Agreement and remove its dangers. Instead,
Netanyahu will be recorded as the man who destroyed the Greater Land of
Israel bloc, and maybe paved the way for our final surrender to the
Palestinians and Syrians.
But if the Netanyahu era is indeed at an end, so too is the journalistic
therapy of hurling balustrades at the prime minister, and now it the turn
of the next man -- Ehud Barak. From now on, Barak will have to be
scrutinized to see if he listened to and means his own elections slogans.
Does he really intend to be the leader of One Israel, or will he continue
to act as the chairman of a fictitious body which calls itself by this
name.