3/28    Likud seems to have been kicked upside the head in today's vote. Can
        someone who knows Israeli politics better comment?
        \_ Frontline on Ch 9 has something on this right now (~ 9:30 PM)
        \_ Sharon tolerated Likud because he needed them.  Likud negated their
           credibility on security concerns by acting like a bunch of paranoid
           naysayers, buddying up with religious lunatics (whom a lot of secular
           Israelis blame for inciting violence with the Palestinians), and by
           the fact that despite/because of Sharon pulling out of Gaza and acting
           unilaterally, bombs haven't been going off.  -John
        \_ Here's a different point of view: Sharon was a core member of Likud,
           one of the leaders of this conservative, secular party.  Due to the
           way the Israeli multi-party parliament works, Likud was forced to
           join with the far right religious party to form a government which
           meant the FRR-party got a small number of higher level government
           positions which they naturally used to further their agenda.  As
           far as the violence goes, it was reduced dramatically after Israel
           closed the borders and built walls/fences.  There was a lesser
           reduction in attacks when Sharon later unilaterally pulled several
           settlements out of the Gaza strip and certain West Bank areas. More
           recently, just before his stroke, he declared he was leaving Likud
           and forming a new centrist party.  His policies had already left
           him in a position where he was likely to lose his Likud position
           so he had nothing to lose by leaving although less astute political
           commentators at the time called this daring and brave.  It was
           really his earlier actions that left him in an untenable position
           in his party that were daring and brave and forming a new party
           was the logical next step.  It should go without saying that after
           Arafat died of some unknown disease in a French hospital and his
           wife was left in Paris with the hundreds of millions of EU and US
           cash he had looted the level of violence turned way down again but
           that has nothing to do directly with Israeli politics.
           \_ Nice, but where can I find some hot right-wing Israeli women?
              \_ On any Israeli bus, at any Israeli disco, or in any Israeli
                 pizza parlor, but you'd be putting yourself at serious risk
                 of being killed by a suicidal palestinian.  For your needs,
                 might I suggest usenet, your imagination, and your hand?  At
                 least that way you'll get some satisfaction.
                 \_ Hillel on Bancroft
                 \_ I think there are legal brothels in Tel Aviv.
                 \_ Are there any hot right-wing Israeli women here in the
                    Berkeley?  Is there an Israel Student Association or
                    something?
                    Berkeley?  Maybe an Israel Student Association?
                    \_ Mmmmm, sex slaves from eastern Europe... good plan.
                 \_ Are there any hot right-wing Israeli women here in
                    Berkeley?  We can play David and Bathsheba all night
                    long.
              \_ Mills.  Seriously.