Israel Needs to Rejuvenate Zionism

Ehud Olmert believes he has yet to have the last word and will be able to take over Kadima again within a year. Tzachi Hanegbi believes - correctly - that if he manages to evade being convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude he could become a key leader of the Israeli center. Gideon Sa'ar is recruiting masses of supporters. Silvan Shalom isn't about to forget or forgive. Gabi Ashkenazi is casting a giant shadow over the entire system. But there's also talk of a well-known television broadcaster whose father's spirit is upon him. Several other celebrities, it is also said, see the leadership vacuum and are eager to fill it.

The subterranean commotion stems from a simple fact: the present Israeli leadership is miscast. If the political system had worked properly, Netanyahu would be leading a moderate right-wing party, while Tzipi Livni would be heading a moderate left-wing party and Ehud Barak a centrist party. After a brief election campaign, the leaders would have brought all three parties into a single sane Zionist government.