The future composition of the Israeli government remains as unclear as it has for several weeks (for the latest, see this). But a key act may very well have occurred recently that could have long-term implications. Shinui, the ardently centrist, secular party whose rise was perhaps the biggest story of the last election cycle may very well have greviously injured itself by agreeing to sit the cabinet with the ultra-orthodox UTJ party. Refusing to take part in a government that included the ultra-orthodox was probably their #1 election promise. This enormous ideological concession gives ample basis for the leftist parties (Labor and Meretz-Yahad) to win back some of the voters they lost to Shinui. One should always be wary of presuming that Labor can win an election when it's headed by Shimon Peres, and it's not clear what kind of following Yossi Beilin can muster for his newly restructured party, but Shinui appears to have just given voters concerned about the influence of the ultra-orthodox very little reason to trust them.
Posted by armand at August 3, 2004 05:02 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Politics