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Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO
The Netanyahus have no intention of chanting, 'Long live President Silvan (and his wife Judy)'
Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO
Sima Kadmon

Presidential election farce: Netanyahu's wife won again

Op-ed: In prime minister's residence, Sara Netanyahu's desires override what is in Israel's best interest.

Silvan Shalom had the presidency in his pocket. His associates, at least, are sure of that. They will swear that unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had changed his mind over the weekend, Silvan would have walked into the President's Residence.

 

 

Those who believe that Netanyahu ever intended on seeing Silvan and his wife Judy arrive at the Knesset with everyone, including the prime minister and the woman who used to be the first lady until that moment, standing and chanting "Long live the president (and his wife)" – have the right to believe that.

 

These people don't understand that there is something which is bigger than what is in the nation's best interest, bigger than the right thing, and even bigger than politics. This thing is the urge. In other words, between Mrs. Sara Netanyahu's urges and those of her husband – she won again. And if last Thursday Shalom left his meeting with the prime minister with a promise from Netanyahu that he would support him, then something, someone or some woman managed to change his mind over the weekend.

 

Shalom's associates are pointing a finger at Natan Eshel, Netanyahu's former chief of staff, who they say is back in business and has spoken to people and intervened in the issue.

 

In their conversation on Monday, Shalom realized that Netanyahu had had a change of heart, that the hesitations had begun, the paranoia. "I have to think a bit more," Netanyahu told Shalom. "Let's wait another day or two."

 

Shalom, who has seen rivers of blood flowing between him and Netanyahu and has had years of bitter experience with the prime minister, wanted to quit the race at that very moment. But Netanyahu asked him to wait a bit. Until on Wednesday, Netanyahu relayed the message – through his "official website" – that he would not support Silvan.

 

Shalom is probably not the only victim of this battle over the presidency. After David Levy's name was raised, and after he broke a years-long silence and said he would agree to run if it would united the people of Israel, the former foreign minister found himself in the same position as Shalom. But he, within one day, managed to imply that he would run and to quit after seeing Netanyahu's hesitations, and this is after the prime minister had sent messengers over to beg him to run.

 

Netanyahu's problem, that he does not approach the pot until it boils over, repeated itself this time too. Now he has managed to fight with Shalom, so that everyone who knows Shalom said this week that the revenge would come, to humiliate David Levy, to worsen his relations with Reuven Rivlin to a boiling point, and in the end he will still be forced – at least publicly – to support him.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.22.14, 13:35
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