Two days ago Tzipi Livni made a web appearance, interviewing on the popular Israeli portal Tapuz. She answered questions submitted by people on the forum online. I was impressed by her frankness and intelligence. She did not aspire to put on an unfiltered, rehearsed and polished performance. On the contrary, what you can see is the real deal – a smart, intelligent woman who highlights the importance of Israeli politics finding common grounds.
Livni stressed the importance of Education as an underlying basis which has the potential to realign Israeli society; a shared national basis. She talks about equality of opportunity for all students, and highlights the fact that equality in education does not mean providing an equal budget per territory, as different families in different cities have unequal opportunieis due to socio-economic reasons.
When asked how she intends to cope with having little security-military experience she responded with a very clear message. Tzipi believes in the importance for a PM to see the bigger picture, evaluate a breadth of options, set strategic goals, and take into account regional effects. “One who is busy strategizing by looking at the specifics and only considering a military solution is providing only a partial solution”, says Tzipi. “I know how to raise my head above the ‘taza’(aerial photography) and weigh out all the options.”
“We are a country that has many security threats, but not only”, says Livni. Her opponent’s arguments center around her lack of military experience, which she spins as her advantage. She comes from a place of collaboration, going against what she calls “old political practices” which try to divide the nation into racial and religious groups. She realizes the importance for Israelis to come together, especially at this time of continuous turmoil. A time when many have lost all hope for the ever-so-sluggish peace process and corrupt political leaders.
I applaud Tzipi for taking the time to do the live webcast, two days before the party primaries. As polls show now, she is in the lead with 500 votes above Mofaz. At this point, the only way for Kadima to stay in rule is by creating a coalition with other parties… a near-to-impossible task. I look forward nervously to see how she deals with the incredibly difficult tasks ahead… that is… if she wins.
See the interview below:
[tags] Tzipi, Livni, webcast, forum, tapuz, israel, politics [/tags]