Short Critical Summary: As Winter Ends, Temperatures Rise for Israel

The major theme that came through in my newspaper articles was that of rising temperatures and tensions for Israel. Twelve of my articles elude to such, as they summarize and highlight the major issues Israel is facing today. Numerous high-ranking officials in Israel's government have come under accusation and investigation for various misconducts, and many have subsequently resigned, been removed or suspended, contributing to the dark cloud that is covering the Israeli parliament. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's approval rating is at an all-time low of 3% (I don't even think George W. has seen an approval rating that low yet) and many are calling for him to be replaced. The Palestinian Fatah party, whose leader, Mahmoud Abbas, was setting the table with American and Israeli officials for serious talk and action toward a peace plan, has formed a new "unity" or "coalition" government comprised of mostly Hamas (a known terrorist organization) leaders, and Israel has boycotted the new governemnt. This unity government also refuses to recognize Israel's right to existence and refuses to denounce violence and terrorism. Additionally, the commission report on the investigation of this past summer's conflict with Lebanese Hezbollah is set to be released in mid-April and the results will less than likely be pleasing. All of these elements are going to converge, putting Israel in sticky situation, as tensions continue to rise. At the beginning of the semester, when I began following this issue in my blog, the major elements of this theory had to do with the corruption issues within the government, and then progressed to talking about the new Palestinian government and its platform, as well as the Israeli boycott of it and then it progressed to talking about the commission report and its probable findings. I think that these three major elements will converge and cause difficulties for Israel. I think that Israel will find itself in a position where it has to make quick and effective decisions and will have to act. This is why i think it would be a bad idea for the Israeli people to replace Olmert right now. The transition time necessary for a new Prime Minister to be elected and a new party (which is probable as Olmert's Kadima party doesn't have really anything to offer by way of a candidate). The time it takes for a new Prime Minister and cabinet to adjust to office would open a huge and dangerous opportunity for terrorism and more. Enemies of Israel would see the weakness in the transition and strike. This is an especially scary thought with the new Palestinian government being headed by Hamas leaders. The commenting and blogging process has been very beneficial in my understanding and following of this issue. The comments I received forced me to further think about and analyze the situation so as to better understand it from all sides. Reading other peoples' blogs on the same (and even different) topics has helped me to have a broader understanding of global issues and reading other peoples' opinions on them has helped me to better form and understand my own.