February 21, 2001

6:17 AM

Barak Just Says No.Former PM passes on Defense Minister post. Is it just me, or does Sharon's push for a unity government smack of Dubya's call for bipartisanship? I just don't trust either one of them.
posted by jpoulos (3 comments total)

On first impressions, Barak would be a better defence minister than PM: he's always been a soldier in civilian clothes, aware of the cost of fighting, and never quite managed to adapt military command structures to the expedient alliances of Israeli politics.

But: Sharon's not daft. By offering Barak such a thankless role, he essentially wanted him on the spot, taking the immediate political damage, whenever the latest Israeli soldier is killed, or Palestinians fired upon, in order to blacken Barak and Labour's character and stake a claim for a Likud majority "to take control of the situation".

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
posted by holgate at 6:49 AM on February 21, 2001

All Things Considered had an interesting segment on this yesterday. It seems that Barak's decision is at least partially due to an internal Labor Party power struggle.
posted by Aaaugh! at 7:04 AM on February 21, 2001

Here is an explanation from a right of center Israeli paper:

http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/02/21/News/News.21767.html
posted by Postroad at 7:57 AM on February 21, 2001