Hijazi: Humiliated Minister’s Return Expected

Zeinab Essa

During 2007 electoral campaign, "Israeli" war minister Ehud Barak addressed a toddler by saying: "You can vote for me when I am Shimon's age," referring to "Israeli" President Shimon Peres, who is 89.

However, only 5 years passed and Gaza failed all the man's ambitions: The head of "Israel's" military announced his resignation from the political life.
In his dramatic press conference, Barak claimed that he had been considering quitting for some time, but the "Israeli" aggression on Gaza delayed his announcement.

"I have exhausted myself in politics and I want to dedicate more time to my family," the "Israeli" minister declared. However, nobody believed the man, whose quit raised many questions:

Is Barak the only victim of the "Pillar of Cloud" 8-days aggression against the besieged strip or the coming days will witness other heads falling from "Israel's" sky due to Gaza's quagmire.

Is he really honest in his announcement or will he emerge back to the "Israeli" political arena as he did after his resounding defeat in Lebanon, when the Lebanese resistance obliged Barak ["Israeli" Prime Minister at that time] to withdraw from Southern Lebanon?

In an attempt to unveil some of the hidden aspects of Barak's resignation, moqawama.org interviewed the expert in "Israeli" affairs Hassan Hijazi.
According to Hijazi, the successive aftershocks of Gaza's defeat will be uncovered with time.

"Gaza turned Barak's bets into mirage," he stressed.

In this context, he explained that "Barak's political position suffered several shakes ahead of "Israeli" military operation on Gaza."
"The "Israeli" polls showed that Barak's popularity retreated as he failed to mount an "Israeli" supporting public opinion," the expert added.

In parallel, he listed some of the factors that played role in such retreat.
"Barak belongs to the left part [Independence Party] which is struggling for political survival," Hijazi clarified, and pointed out that "as the personal level, the "Israeli" minister is accused of personal weakness."
Thus, the "Israeli" aggression on Gaza resembled the only lifeline for the man's political life.

In this context, the analyst quoted "Israeli" Haaretz daily hours after the aggression on Gaza as predicting: "If "Pillar of Cloud" scores a victory, Barak will gain a remarkable electoral progress and will turn to a winning card. However, if the operation fails, he will be the scapegoat of this war."

And the prediction turned to a bitter reality for Barak.

"The "Israeli" elections would turn to a disaster for the defeated man. His negotiations with opposition leader Tzipi Livini failed and Benjamin Netanyahu- Avigdor Lieberman's coalition ["Yisrael Beiteinu"] had no place for the head of the losing front," Hijazi confirmed.
Thus, according to the expert, "Barak preferred to quit than to suffer a political defeat after his militarily humiliation."

"For Barak, winning three seats or playing second-fiddle to the likes of Livni would have been demeaning. He, the former PM, current minister, and a top general believed that he deserves more respect and appreciation from both the Zionist entity's public and political leadership," he revealed.

In parallel, Hijazi pointed out that "Netanyahu had declined to guarantee Barak the post after the elections, in part because of intense pressure from within Likud."
Meanwhile, he indicated that Barak's resignation from "Israeli" politics might not be final.
Based on the "Israeli" say that: ""Israel" is not so good at recycling paper or plastic, but it is very good at recycling politicians," Barak's return is greatly expected.
"The 70-year old man seemed to leave an opening in his press conference for a comeback," Hijazi said, in reference to Barak's evading of questions about whether he would accept a professional appointment as the next "Israeli" War Minister after the elections.

However, whether back or not the "Israeli" multi-millionaire record states the following:

"Israeli" defeat in South Lebanon and its humiliating withdrawal in 2000 cost Barak a 5-years resignation from "Israeli" politics.

On 2012, Gaza toppled the old general. How many years will the price be for Barak to return, if he will return?

Resistance era to unveil the answer...


Source: moqawama.org