Can Peretz soar once more?

[occuserpens]

Not surprisingly, labs want Peretz to go on playing same old "peace" games.

Yoel Marcus. Can Peretz soar once more? http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/664154.html
Amir Peretz is one of the best things that has happened to Israeli politics. Young, Moroccan, sharp of mind and sharp of tongue, and most of all, full of self-confidence. Even those who are not fans of his socio-economic views will find it hard not to admire how passionately he embraces them. Shimon Peres' defeat by someone from outside the tribe has been a great political catalyst and done wonders for the political metabolism.

Peretz has erred in not separating himself from his decades as a trade unionist. Not that poverty and the social agenda don't require serious attention, but the main concern of most Israelis today is the need for a political solution that will put an end to the Qassams and terror before the whole region is dragged into all-out war.

Once we're out of the territories, investors from all over will head for this part of the world. That in itself will create jobs and diminish poverty. When Peretz, as head of the opposition, was invited to the prime minister's office, Sharon couldn't get over how much he sounded like the secretary of a workers committee. Defense policy didn't interest him in the least.
Like the conductor of an orchestra, a person who aspires to become a national leader must be familiar with all the instruments. Peretz is too busy in his own narrow niche as a trade union boss. This doesn't mean that he's crash-landed. He still enjoys the intriguing status of a promising leader with extraordinary talent. If he succeeds in coming up with a political program for demarcating permanent borders, dismantling settlements, ending the occupation and stopping the bloodshed, he may soar again. Poverty is not going to run away.