Archive | October 2019

Hezbollah chief warns of civil war, says Israel exploiting Lebanon protests

Oct26
Hezbollah chief warns of civil war, says Israel exploiting Lebanon protests

TOI STAFF and AGENCIES

Terror chief says though the demonstrations began spontaneously they are now being manipulated by domestic and regional rivals; Hezbollah supporters clash with demonstrators

Supporters of the Hezbollah terror group drive in a convoy in support of its leader Hassan Nasrallah’s speech, in the area of Fatima’s Gate in Kfar Kila on the Lebanese border with Israel, October 25, 2019. (Ali Dia/AFP)

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned that ongoing massive anti-government protests in Lebanon could plunge the country into civil war, and accused Israel and other countries of working to take advantage of the demonstrations to fuel unrest.

The head of the Iran-backed terror organization spoke as the protests, which initially were triggered by new proposed taxes that followed public spending cuts, dragged on into a ninth day.
Nasrallah said though the protests began as a popular expression of anger against corruption and deepening economic crisis, they were now being exploited by political rivals and international and regional powers who oppose Hezbollah.

“What does it mean that the Israelis get Lebanese among those who are in the Zionist entity to the border to show solidarity with the protests,” he was quoted saying by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television network. It was not immediately clear what he was referring to. An Iranian-armed proxy, Hezbollah seeks to destroy Israel.
In an unusual move, Nasrallah spoke with a Lebanese flag behind him instead of the Hezbollah banner.

Nasrallah warned Lebanon could descend into civil war, conjuring fear of the country’s war that lasted 15 years and ended in 1990.

“I’m not threatening anyone, I’m describing the situation,” he said. “We are not afraid for the resistance [Hezbollah], we are afraid for the country.”

  Almanarnews English@AlmanarEnglish

SG Sayyed Hasan threatens those behind schemes to exploit ‘s protests:
Resistance is the most powerful party in the country.
It’s not a problem if you get scared

Embedded video

He did, however, praise the protesters for pressuring the government to back away from tax hikes, but reiterated his opposition to the resignation of the cabinet.

“In view of the difficult financial, economic and living situation in the country, in view of security and political tensions that are prevailing in the region … a vacuum will lead to chaos, to collapse,” he said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Hezbollah is a major political player in Lebanon and with its allies holds the majority in the cabinet. It is the only movement not to have disarmed after Lebanon’s 15-year civil war.

Nasrallah also called on his supporters to leave the streets after clashes broke out in Beirut between them and anti-graft protesters.

Unprecedented protests have erupted in some Hezbollah strongholds, but some of its supporters have also taken offense to slogans against their leader.

In the capital’s main square, protesters fell silent to listen to Nasrallah’s speech broadcast on loudspeakers.

As it neared its end, the police moved in to separate Hezbollah supporters from the rest of the demonstrators, an AFP correspondent said.

Lebanese security forces stand between Hezbollah (foreground) and anti-government protesters (background) at Riad al-Solh square in the capital Beirut on October 25, 2019. (AFP)

Before they retreated, Hezbollah backers threw rocks, plastics bottles and branches at the other demonstrators, who responded in kind chanting “Revolution.”

Scuffles also broke out in central Beirut before the speech, when Hezbollah supporters entered the area to reject chants against Nasrallah, who was named by the protest movement as one among the political elite who must leave.

“Nasrallah is more honorable than all of them,” the pro-Hezbollah protesters chanted. They clashed with the protesters who were previously in the square until riot police tried to break up the fight. The incidents came shortly before Nasrallah was due to speak.

Anger has been building among Hezbollah supporters because the protesters named him, along with other corrupt politicians. At least two protesters were injured. The riot police encircled the pro-Hezbollah protesters, who carried batons, separating them from the other protesters.

But tension returned when the protesters moved down the main road, lobbing stones and at one point attacking a TV crew from a station aligned with a Hezbollah rival. Some protesters chanted for calm.

A Hezbollah supporter, right, fights with a Lebanese riot policeman, left, after a clashes erupted between Hezbollah and anti-government protesters near the government palace, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, October 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Banks, universities and schools remained closed Friday, the ninth day of nationwide protests, which initially were triggered by new proposed taxes that followed public spending cuts.

The demonstrators — who have thronged towns and cities across Lebanon — have been demanding the removal of the entire political class, accusing many across different parties of systematic corruption.

Numbers have declined since Sunday, when hundreds of thousands took over Beirut and other cities in the largest demonstrations in years, but could grow again over the weekend.

Lebanon’s largely sectarian political parties have been wrong-footed by the cross-communal nature of the protests.

Drawing in Christians and Muslims, Shiite, Sunni and Druze, the street movement has largely been peaceful — evolving into celebrations after nightfall.

Waving Lebanese national flags rather than the partisan colors normally paraded at demonstrations, protesters have been demanding the resignation of all of Lebanon’s political leaders.

“All of them means all,” has been a popular slogan.

Hezbollah supporters stand in front of Lebanese riot policemen, as they shout slogans praising the terror groups leader Hassan Nassrallah, during a protest near the government palace, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, October 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

In attempts to calm the anger, Prime Minister Saad Hariri has pushed through a package of economic reforms, while President Michel Aoun offered Thursday to meet with representatives of the demonstrators to discuss their demands.

But those measures have been given short shrift by demonstrators, many of whom want the government to resign to pave the way for new elections.

The unprecedented mass protests come amid a deepening economic crisis in Lebanon. The country is one of the world’s most indebted nations, with public debt over 150 percent of the gross domestic product. The protesters accuse the politicians of amassing wealth even as the country gets poorer.

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18 października 1977 r. Magiczny ogień

Oct26
18 października 1977 r. Magiczny ogień

euronews

To kryptonim operacji zachodnioniemieckich antyterrorystów na lotnisku w Mogadiszu. Gehenna pasażerów i załogi boeinga 737 Lufthansy zaczęła się 13 października, gdy po starcie z Palmy de Mallorca czwórka Palestyńczyków porwała samolot zmierzający do Frankfurtu. Żądali uwolnienia lewackich terrorystów z Frakcji Czerwonej Armii. Samolot był w rękach zamachowców do 18 października. Lądował w Rzymie, na Cyprze, w Bahrajnie, Dubaju, Adenie (został tam zabity kapitan boeinga) i w końcu w Mogadiszu. W akcji jednostki GSG 9 zginęło trzech terrorystów, a wszyscy pasażerowie i załoga – 90 osób – zostali uwolnieni. GSG 9 powstała po palestyńskim zamachu na izraelskich sportowców podczas olimpiady w Monachium w 1972 r.


1977 hijacked plane to be restored in Germany
A German plane notorious for being hijacked in 1977 is being dismantled in Brazil in preparation for it’s journey home.

The Boeing 737, known as Lufthansa Flight 181 was taken by The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine 40 years ago. 82 passengers and five crew members on board. The hijackers demanded the release of 10 imprisoned Red Army Faction leaders who were arrested after the murder of three German officials and businessmen.

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Zwieńczenie Festiwalu Schulza

Oct25
Zwieńczenie Festiwalu Schulza

Stanisław Obirek

Do Wrocławia na tegoroczną edycję Festiwalu Schulza zaprosił mnie jego główny pomysłodawca Irek Grin. W piątek 18 X wziąłem udział w dyskusji panelowej z Marianem Pilotem na temat wsi i elitarności.

Bardzo mnie to spotkanie uciszyło – przede wszystkim dlatego, że ogromnie cenię twórczość Mariana Pilota. Wydaje mi się, że to właśnie on w sposób szczególnie przekonujący domaga się włączenia zapomnianej historii polskich chłopów do głównej narracji polskiej tożsamości. Jest to szczególnie widoczne w jego zbiorze esejów „Nowy matecznik” z 2012 roku.

I nie zawiodłem się. Pilot przypomniał znaną książkę amerykańskiego historyka Howarda Zinna „Ludowa historia Stanów Zjednoczonych”, napisaną z perspektywy grup dyskryminowanych. Jego zdaniem taka historia polski jest bardzo potrzebna. A mówiąc o chłopskich elitach zwrócił uwagę na polski kler, który w większości wywodzi się ze środowisk wiejskich. I zapytał mnie o zdanie.

Nie tylko przyznałem mu rację, ale dodałem, że również większość członków episkopatu ma chłopskie korzenie. Problem polega na tym, że seminaryjne wychowanie nie tylko nie pomaga pielęgnacji chłopskich korzeni, ale je skutecznie wykorzenia. Po sześciu latach spędzonych w seminaryjnej bańce wiejski chłopak marzy tylko o jednym – karierze kościelnej lub o jak najszybszym wzbogaceniu się. I nie chodzi tu o bogactwo duchowe.

Muszę przyznać, że zgromadzeni w PROZA Klub Wrocławskiego Domu Literatury nie mieli większych trudności w akceptacji naszej tezy. Marian Pilot upatrywał w takim socjologicznym rodowodzie polskiego kleru jedną z przyczyn jego bezkrytycznej akceptacji wizji Polski proponowanej przez PiS. Nie omieszkałem ze swej strony dodać, że nie tylko się z tym zgadzam, ale dodałem jeszcze kilka uwag na temat specyfiki obecności w polskim katolicyzmie Tadeusza Rydzyka, który legitymuje się jak najbardziej chłopskim rodowodem.

Jednak Festiwal Schulza to przede wszystkim wydarzenie literackie i zwykle zwieńcza go przyznanie jak najbardziej literackiej nagrody Angelus. W tym roku jej laureatem został bułgarski pisarz Georgi Gospodinow za powieść „Fizyka smutku”.

Tegoroczny festiwal przebiegał jednak w blasku innej nagrody, którą 10 X otrzymała Wrocławianka Olga Tokarczuk.

Jak było do przewidzenia, spotkanie z Tokarczuk zostało przeniesione z pierwotnie planowanego miejsca na uniwersytecie (Oratorum Marianum), które mogło pomieścić maksymalnie dwieście osób do innego, bardziej przestronnego – Narodowego Forum Muzyki. W istocie w głównej Sali zmieściło się 1800 chętnych.

Ale o tym za chwilę, bowiem przed spotkaniem z Olgą Tokarczuk we wspomnianym Oratorium miało miejsce inne, ale równie ciekawe spotkanie z autorkami książki… jeszcze nie wydanej, ale już zapowiedzianej na stronie Wydawnictwa Znak.

Chodzi o analizę językoznawczą i retoryczną nowego zjawiska, jakim jest „Dobra zmiana” autorstwa Katarzyny Kłosińskiej i Michała Rusinka. To będzie lektura obowiązkowa dla każdego, kto zachce zrozumieć, do jakiego spustoszenia w języku doszło po przejęciu władzy przez ekipę Jarosława Kaczyńskiego. Ale przecież nie tylko w języku, bo to język kształtuje rzeczywistość, a nowomowa pisowska tę rzeczywistość nie tyle kształtuje, ile deformuje. Materiał egzemplifikujący to spustoszenie jest obfity i już się cieszę na lekturę, prawdopodobnie dopiero pod choinkę.

Więc dzielę się tym, co znalazłem na stronie wydawcy na temat książki i jej autorów: A jak antypolonizm, E jak element animalny, D jak demon postępu, M jak mordy zdradzieckie – brzmi przerażająco? A może już przywykliśmy?

rekomendował: Leon Rozenbaum

Dobra zmiana to wynik wnikliwych obserwacji i badań prowadzonych przez Katarzynę Kłosińską i Michała Rusinka w latach 2015-2019, układający się w słownik języka władzy tego okresu. Język rządzących nie tylko przenika do naszej mowy codziennej, ale również kreuje naszą rzeczywistość. Może być źródłem żartu, ale też źródłem przemocy. Autorzy z językoznawczą dociekliwością odkrywają, co kryje się za najpopularniejszymi z używanych przez władzę słowami i jak wpływają one na naszą codzienność i postrzeganie świata.

A teraz rzecz najważniejsza, czyli spotkanie z noblistką.

Proszę się nie obawiać; nie będę streszczał niezwykle zresztą ciekawej rozmowy Katarzyny Kantner, autorki książki „Jak działać za pomocą słów? Proza Olgi Tokarczuk jako dyskurs krytyczny” właśnie z Olgą Tokarczuk. Zaciekawiło mnie jednak jak w ciągu godziny, bo tyle mniej więcej trwała rozmowa, można zapytać o to, co najważniejsze w twórczości pisarza i zrobić to w sposób ciekawy, również dla słuchacza nieobeznanego z twórczością. Oprócz rozmowy ważne też miejsce. Jak wspomniałem była to największa sala Narodowego Forum Muzyki, ale i ona okazała się za mała. Również przed jego gmachem zgromadziły się setki chętnych, którzy z entuzjazmem wpatrywali się w ustawiony przed nowoczesnym gmachem telebim…

Wracam do spotkania. Wybiorę tylko jeden wątek, który mnie szczególnie zaciekawił, a mianowicie wątek religijny. Na pytanie, kim są bogowie, którzy zaludniają zarówno twórczość Tokarczuk jak i ludzką kulturę autorka „Ksiąg Jakubowych” mówiła o potencjałach, które każdy z nas w sobie ma. Ale nie tylko je w sobie nosi, ale powinien zrobić wszystko by one się rozwinęły i zaktualizowały. Bo tak naprawdę temu służą wszystkie religie i wszystkie mity. Sądzę, że w takim rozumieniu religii odnajdą się i wierzący i niewierzący. Dla tych pierwszych będzie to uznanie wartości ich religijnych przeświadczeń, dla tych drugich przypisania im należnego w kulturze statusu fikcji. Mnie ciekawi i jedno, i drugie.

Olga Tokarczuk odwoływała się przede wszystkim do swojego wykształcenia psychologicznego i praktyki terapeutycznej. Ale tak naprawdę wyraziła przekonanie, że to literatura jest miejscem aktualizacji tych potencjałów.

Nie wiem, czy trafnie oddałem myśl noblistki. Pewnie można to będzie jeszcze sprawdzić, a może i jeszcze nie raz usłyszeć. W końcu to dopiero jej pierwsze dni po Noblu w Polsce i kolejka do wywiadów jest już pewnie długa. Jednak chyba w tej chwili najważniejsze dla Olgi Tokarczuk jest napisanie mowy noblowskiej i dokończenie powieści…

Stanisław Obirek – Profesor Teolog, historyk, antropolog kultury, profesor nauk humanistycznych, profesor zwyczajny Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, były jezuita. Ur. 1956

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Olga Tokarczuk destined to win Nobel Prize, says Jennifer Croft, her translator

Oct25
Olga Tokarczuk destined to win Nobel Prize, says Jennifer Croft, her translator

The World staff

Writer Olga Tokarczuk takes part in EXPO Krakow book fair in Krakow, Poland, on Oct. 29, 2017. Credit: Adrianna Bochenek/Agencja Gazeta/Reuters

Polish author Olga Tokarczuk was named the 2018 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday, after a sexual assault scandal led to last year’s award being postponed. Austrian writer Peter Handke won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature.

 

Tokarczuk, 57, won for “a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life,” said the Swedish Academy, which chooses the literature laureate. It recognised Handke, 76, for a body of work including novels, essays and drama “that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.”

Both authors have courted controversy — Handke for his portrayal of Serbia as a victim during the Balkan wars and for attending its leader’s funeral, and Tokarczuk for touching on dark areas of Poland’s past that contrast with the version of history promoted by the country’s ruling nationalist party.

While Tokarczuk’s agent said the award should not be seen in the context of a parliamentary election Poland will hold on Sunday, the author called on Poles to “vote in a right way for democracy.”

“The prize goes to eastern Europe, which is unusual, incredible,” Tokarczuk told a press conference in the German town of Bielefeld prior to giving a lecture.

“It shows that despite all those problems with democracy in my country we still have something to say to the world.”

Crossing boundaries

Tokarczuk trained as a psychologist before publishing her first novel in 1993. Since then, she has produced a steady and varied stream of works and her novel, “Flights,” won her the high-profile Man Booker International Prize last year. She was the first Polish author to win that award.

Responding to her latest award, Tokarczuk wrote on Facebook, “Nobel Prize for Literature! Joy and emotion took my speech away. Thank you very much for all your congratulations!”

She later told Polish broadcaster TVN she was proud that her books covering small towns in Poland can be read universally and be important for people elsewhere in the world.

“I believe in the novel. I think the novel is something incredible. This is a deep way of communication, above the borders, above languages, cultures. It refers to the in-depth similarity between people, teaches us empathy,” she said.

Tokarczuk’s English-language translator, Jennifer Croft, whose debut novel, “Homesick,” was published on Sept. 9, said in an interview with The World that Tokarczuk’s nomination didn’t surprise her. “She’s always been really committed to celebrating women’s voices and she has always loved nature,” she said. 

“[She’s] been an environmentalist and lately she’s also been really interested in things like borders — what it means to have a particular nationality and how fluid those kinds of identities might really be,” she added. 

Croft spoke with The World’s host, Marco Werman, on translating Tokarczuk, finding an American publisher, and how speaking multiple languages — not only English — empowers polyglots to subvert the dominant cultural paradigm. Croft also emailed us some of her favorite passages to translate:

There are countries out there where people speak English. But not like us — we have our own languages hidden in our carry-on luggage, in our cosmetics bags, only ever using English when we travel, and then only in foreign countries, to foreign people. It’s hard to imagine, but English is their real language! Oftentimes their only language. They don’t have anything to fall back on or to turn to in moments of doubt.

How lost they must feel in the world, where all instructions, all the lyrics of all the stupidest possible songs, all the menus, all the excruciating pamphlets and brochures — even the elevator buttons! — are in their private language. They may be understood by anyone at any moment, whenever they open their mouths. They must have to write things down in special codes. Wherever they are, people have unlimited access to them — they are accessible to everyone and everything! I heard there are plans in the works to get them some little language of their own, one of those dead ones no one else is using anyway, just so that for once they can have something just for themselves.

 

Marco Werman: What was your reaction this morning, Jennifer, when you heard that Olga Tokarczuk had won the Nobel Prize for Literature?

Jennifer Croft: You know, I have been absolutely certain that it was going to happen. I’ve been saying it to editors who didn’t believe me for years. But when it actually did happen at 4 a.m. in the morning my time, because I am in Los Angeles, I squealed, I cried. I did a lot of extremely unprofessional things in my pajamas — romping around my living room, waking up my cats, who are now terrified of me. I am ecstatic, although not surprised.

 

Why were you so sure that Tokarczuk would win?

I think it’s a variety of things. I think a lot of her thematic concerns are really in line with the values of the Nobel Committee. She’s always been really committed to celebrating women’s voices and she has always loved nature. [She’s] been an environmentalist and lately she’s also been really interested in things like borders — what it means to have a particular nationality and how fluid those kinds of identities might really be. And then, stylistically, she’s so appealing. She just has such a beautiful lyrical prose style.

 

How did you come across her work in the first place?

I did an MFA at the University of Iowa in literary translation starting in 2001, and I had started with Russian language, but moved into Polish. And I was looking to translate some contemporary writers and she had just published a short story collection in 2001 called “Playing on Many Drums,” which I stumbled upon at the university library and I just thought it was like falling head over heels in love at first sight.

 

You talked about her lyricism in her writing. How hard is that to capture in English?

Since I’ve been working on her for such a long time, I think that it’s kind of an instant click sort of situation, for the most part. But, in general, I would say her prose is so beautiful, but also so clear, there’s never any question as to what the tone is or what the author’s intentions are. It’s a real gift to be able to translate a writer like her right.

 

So for “Flights,” which you translated, as you said, I know, it took you a while to find a publisher. Why was that? And how long did it take to find one?

It took me a decade to find a publisher and that was with me publishing excerpts in really good literary magazines and I got a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. I went to New York and pitched it to all the different houses and people were just kind of scared because it had this unusual format. Olga calls it a constellation novel which means that, in this case, it’s a lot of different fragments of stories about things and characters and places that seem to be not that related to one another. But it’s actually so fun to read, but it just doesn’t look like a traditional novel. So editors just weren’t sure about publishing it.

 

I see that the number of translated books published in the US keeps going down. Why is that do you think?

I didn’t know that it was going down. My impression has been that people are actually more and more interested in international literature and in the act of translation itself.

 

It went down 3% in 2018.

That is a big surprise. Maybe with literary fiction that hasn’t been the trend. Olga is one of many authors who are doing much better in the US and in the UK than had been expected.

 

Have you spoken with Olga today?

I haven’t gotten to talk to her yet. I’ve been trying, but her line is always busy. I know she and her husband were travelling in Germany when they got the news and they have now checked into a hotel in Düsseldorf and are awaiting interviews. So we’ll see!

 

The line will be busy for a while no doubt.

I think so.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Reuters contributed to this report.

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ENCOUNTERING PEACE

Oct25
ENCOUNTERING PEACE: THE UNLIKELY POSSIBLE SCENARIO

GERSHON BASKIN

As long as Netanyahu is not cleared of all charges, from the clear moral point of view, he should not be allowed to rule Israel.

BENNY GANTZ : His government would only have to last until Netanyahu is indicted. (photo credit: REUTERS)

It should be no surprise to the readers of this column that as unlikely as it is, I hope that there will be a new center-left government led by Benny Gantz.

Even if that government is a minority government which is supported from the outside by the Joint List, and Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu abstains, in a matter of a few months that new government could set Israel on a new and must desired course. It would be the beginning of a correction course resetting Israel’s path toward peace within the country, especially regarding Jewish-Arab relations. It would be a course correction in once again presenting an outstretched hand to our Palestinian neighbors. And it would be a correction course in setting parameters for equality and equal opportunities for the entire Israeli society, without incitement against any part of the society.

What’s in it for Liberman? If he and his party colleagues are serious about their stated agenda, a new center-left government could deliver on all of his secular demands: public transportation on Shabbat, the reform mandatory IDF military service draft law that was the stated reason for bringing down the last two Knessets, core curricula for all schools, keeping grocery and convenience stores in secular areas open on Shabbat, and almost anything else Liberman would want.

The Joint List would support the government because Gantz’s first phone call would be to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to renew the belief that peace on the basis of two states for two peoples is once again possible. Then Gantz would call Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah to call for a regional summit together with Abbas to renew negotiations and peaceful relations. Furthermore, the new government would either amend the Nation-State Law or abolish it and pass a Citizens Equality Law based on the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel.

The ultra-Orthodox parties would without doubt have the greatest fears about these possibilities, but the new government could provide reassurances by including in the new state budget aboveboard funding with benchmarks for parity and equality for all schools – including haredi schools from all streams, Arab schools and periphery schools – with an emphasis on providing additional equalization funds for those schools in all communities that have been left behind in recent years. Immediate plans for dealing with the housing crisis, especially for young couples, including young haredi couples, could be addressed in the new budget.

A settlement building freeze, perhaps with the exception of Betar Illit and Modi’in Illit, could be set, enabling resources that today are spent beyond the security barrier to be spent inside of Israel in the communities with the greatest needs.

A social network could begin to be rebuilt, including investment for public housing and an immediate infusion of resources into the health system.

All of this could be done by resetting priorities and making the necessary budgetary adjustments.

BUT EVEN if such a government were established, it would not last long. A minority government can stay in power as long as 61 members of Knesset don’t support a vote of no confidence. A military flare-up from the north or from Gaza could easily bring down the government. Gantz and Blue White would not feel very comfortable remaining in such a government, and from the point of view of the so-called democratic will of the people, the government should have a majority of support from the elected Knesset.

From the point of view of the centralist camp led by Blue and White, the government has to last only until Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted, as is expected. At that point, public opinion would force Netanyahu to stand down, at least until he could clear himself of all charges of corruption. Once Netanyahu is out of the picture, Gantz and his team would probably invite the Likud to join the government and to replace Labor and the Democratic Union with a so-called national-unity government. It may seem far-fetched, but in fact it may be the only way that Gantz can form a government and become prime minister.

As long as Netanyahu is not cleared of all charges, from the clear moral point of view, he should not be allowed to rule Israel. In fact, any suspected public servant with charges of corruption against him should be forced out of office. Moreover, the suspected public servant should not have to be forced out; he should resign on his own. In a self-respecting democracy a public servant who was convicted of a crime against the public should not be allowed to serve as a public servant, for the rest of his life – not only for a period of seven years. Netanyahu must not return as leader of this country, as long as he has not proven his complete innocence. There are many other reasons Netanyahu should not continue to lead Israel, but those are matters of political beliefs, values and performance, and can be legitimately debated and argued within a democracy. The issues concerning the alleged criminal behavior of the prime minister should be beyond debate.

The single most significant reason that has prevented the creation of the so-called national-unity government is the refusal of Netanyahu to stand down until clearing the suspicions. The attorney-general will probably not issue the indictments against Netanyahu within the next 28 days allotted to Gantz to form a government. In that case, our best option is to move forward with the scenario described above. It is possible, it is legitimate and, from my point of view, it is the best possible outcome from the recent elections.

The writer is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to the State of Israel and to peace between Israel and her neighbors. His latest book, In Pursuit of Peace in Israel and Palestine, was published by Vanderbilt University Press.

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