Israeli Labor Leader, Amram Mitzna, Resigns from Politics

[Eli]

Another "meteor" goes down....

People always seem to be thinking that they can come out of nowhere and take over everything within couple of years. Parlamentary expirience? Pffff.

This happened to Barak who did in a few years the way from being the IDF chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. After failing two negotiations attempts, fleeing from Lebanon and causing the start of one Intifada he was kicked out of office.

Mitzna was the mayor of Haifa. He took over the Labor party, defeating veteran lawmakers and ministers like Haim Ramon and the (at the time) Labor leader and Security Minister Benyamin ben Eliezer.
In the general elections he had lost to Sharon in every possible sector except the Labor Kibutzim stronghold and among the Arabs and now he too learned the lesson and is about to resign.

Well, all I can is .

[Az]

Let us all light a candle for the Israeli Labour Party.

*candle*

[Az]

Oh, and of course, that press conference can always be that he's willing to join the government.

[Spiffor]

Is there any chance a dovish leader gets elected next time, or are we stucked to Sharon until his death ? (that will make Sharon a bit like the pope )

[Az]

Sharon has declared this to be his last term in the office. He won't run again.

[Spiffor]

That's good news

[Az]

Don't worry, I am sure you'll like Nethaniyahu or Mofaz much better.

[Spiffor]

I don't know anything about Mofaz, so please don't spoil the surprise when he'll come to power

About Netaniyahu (finally got the spelling right), I think even he is less stubborn about the colonies. I'd support any leader, even likkudite, if he actively opposes the colonization, and gets rid of the colonies

[Az]

than Sharon? Sharon is the only person that removed a large scale settlement ever.

You don't know how it feels in Israel, for a person like me. On socio-economics, there is probably a single party that I support, but Its' rethoric on the arab-Israeli conflict blames it all on Israel, and I find it fricking rediculous.

I am a political homeless person in Israel.

[Eli]

About Netaniyahu (finally got the spelling right), I think even he is less stubborn about the colonies. I'd support any leader, even likkudite, if he actively opposes the colonization, and gets rid of the colonies

Today, in the Likud, Sharon is one of the most dovish senior leader.

[yago]

Today, in the Likud, Sharon is one of the most dovish senior leader.

Makes me very pessimistic. Seems like fighting will go on. Is there hope for the year 2020 ?

[Ned]

It looks like Labor has the same problem the Democrats have in the US: they are dominated by pacifists who view their own country as the problem. Pacifists tend to appease rather than confront, making small problems larger. They also tend to conduct war in a half-assed manner: witness Truman and Johnson vs. Roosevelt and Polk -- all Democrats, just to keep the comparison simple.

However, the founding fathers of Israel all did well. This means that Labor, once upon a time, was a party more in the mold of Roosevelt and Polk.

What changed?

[Eli]

What changed?

When the "founding fathers" ruled Israel, Arik Sharon was a Labor member.

[Az]

damn I miss the founding fathers. Sure they ****ed a lot of things up, but they're better than what we have now, no doubt.

[Az]

Update: Mitzna leaves party leadership, stays in Knesset ranks.

My bet: the miraculous return of Barak.