Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press
are prepared by the Government Press Office
as a service to foreign journalists in Israel.
They express the views of the authors.
A Tribe is Born
(Commentary by Asher Arian, "Yediot Ahronot", May 18, 1999 p. A18)
Tommy Lapid's accomplishment was in bringing the secular public down a
notch, and forging them into a tribe.
From now on, Shinui -- formed 50 years ago, with a pluralist, liberal
orientation -- is a declared anti-ultra- Orthodox movement. Contrary to
Meretz and the defunct Tzomet, two other movements whose comprehensive
platforms contained a similar message, Lapid concentrated only on the
ultra-Orthodox, thereby entering the consciousness of the electorate. When
the government is now formed, even if the ultra-Orthodox remain on the
outside, it will be difficult to include Lapid because other political
players -- who may share his views --will not be comfortable in his
company.
On the other hand, Lapid in opposition will give some color to the
Knesset. His sharp tongue and his unconventional look will cause the
occasional uproar in parliament. Lapid can be expected to clash with
ultra- Orthodox delegates, and possibly even with the moderate religious
camp. Since he also knows to cook his own stew, he may put himself in a
situation where his gimmicks cease to attract any interest -- as happened
to certain Knesset members during previous tenures -- unless we witness a
new Lapid.
This also leads to the conclusion that it is impossible to make a
comparison between Shinui-Lapid and Meretz- Sarid, despite the similarity
of their positions vis-a-vis the ultra-Orthodox. The experienced Sarid
holds a broad perspective and knows that it is impossible, and possibly
undesirable, to place the ultra-Orthodox beyond the pale. He wants to
return them to their proper proportions, in terms of their weight among
the population.
To the best of my knowledge, Sarid has not made as blatant comments about
the ultra-Orthodox as has Lapid. As such, Sarid could find place in the
coalition. He will certainly act to scale back the achievements of the
ultra-Orthodox, but also to leave his mark on a series of other
decisions.