Interview with Gadi Baltiansky on Labor-Likud Coalition Agreement

Earlier today The Pulse interviewed Gadi Baltiansky, the Director General of the Geneva Initative and the former Press Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Pulse: As someone who worked closely with then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, what do you think motivated him to push so hard for the coalition deal with Labor?

Baltiansky: Barak genuinely believes that he is the right man to be defense minister at this particular time.  He is not doing this for the job itself, or for the car and the driver, contrary to what others may think.  He is convinced that is better qualified than any other candidate; that he is the only one who can contend with the complex challenges facing Israel such as Iran, and that he can handle better both the threats and possibly the opportunities.

Pulse: Why did the Labor Party support the move?

Baltiansky: The Labor Party was really in a "damned if you, damned if you don't" situation. With Kadima in the opposition, and Tzipi leading it, they would have had no real role to play and would have disappeared very quickly. If Kadima had gone into the government, they would have had a reason to lead the opposition.  But as it is, the question before them was to disappear in the opposition or in the coalition.

Pulse: What happens to the Labor Party now?

Baltiansky: It is definitely in critical condition, but there is no death certificate yet.  As I see it, there are three scenarios that can now keep the party alive:

1)     If Israel attacks Iran and is successful, the credit will go to Barak.

2)     If Barak leads Bibi to a major diplomatic breakthrough with the Palestinians, or maybe on the Syrian track since that is something that is widely supported by the security establishment, then, again, the credit will go to Barak and Labor will be able to say that our presence in the government enabled this to happen.

3)     If Barak and Labor will be courageous enough to leave the government at the right moment. If there is no progress on the peace process and diplomatic front or if they realize that Labor can make no real impact on the government, they will be able to leave and declare that although they tried they can no longer cooperate with such extremists.  Given that Kadima, which really came into being within the government, is not expected to excel as an opposition party, Labor making the choice to leave government at the right time may allow it to leave with integrity, which may keep it from disappearing.

Pulse: Why was Bibi so anxious to get Labor in, so willing to give them so much to join?

Baltiansky: Bibi was desperate for a fig leaf for his government so that it would not be isolated in the world.  It is important for him to be perceived as being more open to the peace process, as being more reasonable than perhaps he is. He wanted to change his image and become legitimate in the eyes of the world; to become a player.

Pulse: Do you think Bibi will change his views on the peace process?

Baltiansky: If he will have no other choice but to advance peace he may do it because he is not an ideologue.  If Barak and other forces - - both inside and outside of Israel - - push him in that direction, he may move toward the peace process even though it is not his agenda to do so.

Pulse: Does Labor in the coalition help Bibi vis-à-vis the US?

Baltiansky: Not really because the inclusion of Barak and Labor in his government does not dramatically change the makeup of what is essentially an extreme right wing government.  Lieberman still has to prove himself as the Foreign Minister and Barak as Defense Minister can't change that.  And Bibi, even with Labor alongside him, will still ultimately have to make bold decisions that are important to the US relationship, such as dealing with settlements, and other issues that will not be easy for him vis-a-vis his other coalition partners.

Gadi Baltiansky is the Director General of the Geneva Initiative. Between 1999 and 2001, he served as Press Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In this capacity, he was in charge of the public aspects of Israel's security and foreign affairs in general and the peace process in particular. He was an official member of the Israeli negotiating teams opposite Syria and the Palestinians and, as such, participated in numerous summits, meetings and events in the international arena.