The government is in need of a political revolution, which no politician can
bring about on his own, former opposition leader Tzipi Livni said on Sunday
night.
“Israel is in need of dramatic and significant decisions,” Livni
said, adding “in order for this to happen there must be a revolution. This isn’t
just my decision or up to just me, there must be a bloc and a collaborative
decision about a candidate to head the government.”
Speaking at a meeting
of the Green Movement in Tel Aviv, the former Kadima Party head appeared to hint
at her support of a unified Center/Center-Left bloc to counter the Likud-Beytenu
list, and that she herself doesn’t necessarily need to sit at the top of the
unified list. Livni has yet to announce whether or not she will be running in
the upcoming election, either in Kadima or a new party.
Livni also
criticized Netanyahu for the unity deal with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman,
saying that it ran contrary to all of the principles of the Likud that she was
raised with.
She said she remembered the Likud of former prime minister
Menachem Begin as one that pursued peace, as opposed to the current Likud-led
government “that today stops every path to peace.”
She also said that
while Netanyahu and Liberman talked about strength and stability repeatedly last
Thursday night, “they are consumed with political fear and have been driven by
survivalism for so long and have fed the Israeli public a diet of fear for the
past four years.”
In addition, she said Israel could achieve progress
with its enemies in the region and also repair ties with allies such such as
Turkey that have become worn during the current government’s term.