Why I joined Kadima

It's a party that brings together forces from the broad spectrum of the center.

By NACHMAN SHAI
Livni what what 248.88 (photo credit: AP)
Livni what what 248.88
(photo credit: AP)
Now, on the eve of the Kadima primaries, I can look back on the past few weeks of concentrated work and say that this experience was intensive, rigorous and enlightening. There is one thing left, of course, to win. I came to politics at an advanced stage in my career. I've done it all - in the media, the foreign service, the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, public service and, most recently, the Jewish world. All of this prepared me for the next stage in my career - politics. I have heard all the warnings and am aware of all the dangers. But I know that this is the place where the critical decisions about our fate as a state and as its citizens are made. This is where they make the decisions about peace, war, privatization, nationalization, education, society, every aspect of our lives in this country. The coming years will be crucial for Israel's future. The administration in the US has just changed, the world is going through an economic crisis, and Israel is faced with serious threats from near and far. This is a time in which people who are concerned about the fate of the country cannot sit on the sidelines. They must ask themselves whether the time has not come to return to the state the investment that it made in them and to stand up and do their part. After much consideration, I decided to take up this challenge. I chose to join Kadima for two reasons. First, because Kadima brings together forces from the broad spectrum of the center, both the left and the right. The other reason is that the Israeli political scene is split into so many parties and factions that it is necessary to try to bring them together to form strong blocs that can contend with one another. The long journey that I have travelled, from the North to the South, has shown me how much the people in this country long for a sign of hope. They want to believe that the leadership that they have chosen, or that they will choose, will take them forward to a new future with conviction and wisdom. And I want to be there.