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CounterPunch
January
10, 2003
Chutzpahgate
Is This the End of Sharon?
By WILLIAM HUGHES
Maybe, there is a God!
How else can you account for the fact
that Ariel Sharon might lose the January 28th election? He might
even go to jail, or at least pay a fine, if the state can prove
its case against him for electoral hanky panky.
The Israeli Prime Minister is finally
on the ropes. And, it's not for his invasion of Lebanon in 1982,
and the carnage and death that left in its wake. He's under a
fierce attack. And, it has nothing to do with his sordid part
in the slaughter of 69 innocent civilians at the Arab village
of Qibya in 1953. It's the tenth round of a slugfest and he is
wearing out fast. And, it's not because the World Court has called
him to account for his supporting role in the massacre at Sabra
and Shatila, the sacking of Jenin, or for running his death squads
in the West Bank and Gaza.
No! It's the local Israeli prosecutor,
Elyakim Rubinstein, who is doing the pounding away at the old
sheep farmer, Sharon. Rubinstein is going for his jugular. It's
all because of an election fundraising brouhaha - a measly $1.5
million loan - supposedly transferred from a South African business
man, to Israel, to pay off the campaign debts of Sharon. You
see: Foreign campaign contributions are illegal in Israel.
Talk about being brought down by the
absurd. And, of course, those troublemaking sons of Sharon; Omri
and Gilad. didn't help his cause either. Both of their names
appear on the disputed bank account, according to published reports.
Omri Sharon is also involved in an alleged vote buying scheme
in last November's primary election. Well, the fruit never falls
far from the tree, does it?
If Sharon needed an election loan, then
why didn't he ask his Zionist cronies in America for it? They
know how to manipulate those election financing laws and would
have jumped at the opportunity to help out their favorite war
hawk. They are masters at setting up Political Action Committees
(PAC). They could have easily created a PAC just for him. They
could have called it, "The Sheriff John Wayne Fund,"
to spotlight his tough guy, hang-them-high, Law-&-Order image.
Remember, too, how the relatives of Presidents
Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon kept on getting
them in hot water? Seems like even the Israeli politicians aren't
immune to that one. I hope Hollywood does a movie about Sharon
and his electoral predicament. They could call it-"Chutzpahgate."
Nicholas Gage, who did a virtuoso performance in the flick "Adaptation,"
playing the dual role of the twin Kaufman brothers, could easily
do Omri and Gilad Sharon. This would also save money on the casting.
As for the part of Sharon, I would suggest veteran character
actor Brian Denehy. He's chesty, gruff, and he also looks the
part. For the prosecutor, I think Dustin Hoffman would be righteous
enough.
Sharon insisted he had done nothing wrong
and bellowed, "Whoever is disseminating this libel has one
single aim - to bring down the prime minister." He's right.
A lot of folks do want to bring him down. But, the "libel"
part is just hot air coming from a desperate man looking to scare
the truth seekers away. Now, Sharon's credibility is a little
weak at the moment. He is the same windbag that had just sworn
that Saddam Hussein had shifted his WMD to Syria. Even our clueless
leader in the White House, George W. Bush Jr., didn't go for
that one. And don't forget, Bush had previously labeled Sharon,
"A Man of Peace."
Funny, too, how the Israeli blowhards
hold Chairman Yasser Arafat to the highest (read impossible)
standards of conduct. Sharon's Foreign Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,
a/k/a "Bend-the-Truth Yahoo," comes to mind. No matter
what action Arafat takes to stop the suicide bombings, Netanyahu
blames him for it. So, if we used Netanyahu's absolute liability
standards of responsibility, with respect to accusations against
Sharon, then we'd have to say that Sharon is guilty of the charges!
Although, it would serve him right on a karmic level, we prefer
to play by the rules and await a decision by the appropriate
judicial authority.
Sharon's opponent in the coming election,
Amram Mitzna, has been hitting the campaign trail mocking the
prime minister as "The Godfather." His strategy is
working. The polls show Mitzna's Labor Party is almost even with
Likud. A month ago, the incumbent had a clear majority, despite
the mayhem he has created with his "Iron Fist" colonial
policy. Even if Likud wins the election, Mitzna could still work
out a deal with the minor parties in Israel and form a ruling
government with the needed 61 seats.
"This is a despicable political
plot," Sharon screamed, "which I will disprove with
documents and facts." His critics sharply disagree. They
say its just political dirty dealings, fraud, bribery, vote-buying,
breach of trust, and corruption, that have finally coming to
the surface of the body politics in Zionist Israel. We'll see
soon enough who right.
Chutzpahgate! It couldn't have happened
at a better time. Maybe, God has a sense of humor, too. In any
event, if Sharon does falls from power, score one for humanity.
William Hughes
is the author of "Baltimore Iconoclast" (Writer's Showcase),
which is available online. He can be reached at liamhughes@mindspring.com.
© William Hughes 2002
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