The dirty trick (Israel)

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The dirty trick (Hebrew: התרגיל המסריח‎, HaTargil HaMasriah, lit. The stinking trick) refers to a political scandal that erupted in Israel in 1990. It consisted of an attempt by Shimon Peres to form a narrow government comprised of the left factions and the Jewish orthodox ones. It failed as the orthodox parties backed out on the deal.

Contents

[edit] Background

In early 1990, the United States Secretary of State James Baker suggested that Israel negotiated with a Palestinian delegation comprised of Palestinians deported from the Israeli occupied territories as well as some from East Jerusalem. Finance Minister and Labor Party leader Peres demanded that the government accept Baker's proposal. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, under pressure from his party, the Likud, refused.[1] Peres gave Shamir an ultimatum, threatening to leave the national unity government if Shamir did not accept the Baker plan.[2]

[edit] The move

Peres drafted a secret agreement with Aryeh Deri and Shas to support the dissolution of the government. The Alignment then issued a motion of no confidence against the government. Shamir subsequently fired Peres, and the other Alignment ministers followed suit.[3] On March 15, the government was dissolved by a vote of 60 to 55. Agudat Yisrael voted for the motion, while Shas abstained.[4] It was the only time in Israeli history that a government was dissolved by a motion of no confidence.[5][6]

After the government fell, Israeli President Haim Herzog chose Peres to form the new government.[7] Peres soon found this task difficult.[8] Speaking in a rally at the Yad Eliyahu Arena, Rabbi Elazar Shach, Degel HaTorah's spiritual leader, called on his public not to tolerate a coalition with the faithless, Kashrut-violating left. This later became known as "The hares address".[9][10] Following Shach's firm objection, Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef also refused to allow its party members to join a Peres government.[11] Peres then had only 60 MKs, one less than necessary. The extra MK would be Avraham Sharir, who had left the Likud in February to form the New Liberal Party.[12]

The new government was to be approved on April 11. However, on that morning two Agudat Yisrael MKs, Eliezer Mizrahi and Avraham Verdinger, were absent,[13] due to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's ruling not to support any concession of an Israeli territory.[14][15] It later turned out that Mizrahi was not even present at the signing of the agreement between the Alignment and Agudat Yisrael, while Verdinger only pretended to sign it, in fact just waving his pen over the paper.[16]

Peres asked the President for an extension,[17] but had to surrender his mandate on April 26.[18] Shamir was given the mandate, and managed to form a right-wing coalition.[19] Sharir returned to the Likud following Shamir's memorable cry "Abrasha, come back home!",[20][11] and Efraim Gur, who left the Alignment, also joined.[20] Shamir presented his new government on June 11.[21]

[edit] Aftermath

Yitzhak Rabin named the affair "the dirty trick" in an interview, saying "All this bluff and corruptibility which came into the the Israeli political life in an attempt to form a narrow government, failed not only tactically but also conceptually.[11] In the following Labor Party primary election, Peres defeated a challenge by Rabin.[22]

During the affair, potential coalition members publicly demanded inducements, including a $2.5 million bank bond, $111 million in subsidies for private religious schools, and guaranteed seats in the Knesset. This prompted protests by the Israeli public, including rallies and hunger strikes.[23][24] It was in one of the rallies in Israel Kings' Square that the call "Mush'hatim, Nim'astem!" ("Fed up with the corrupt!") was first uttered. It was later adopted by the Labor Party in its 1992 elections campaign (when it was led by Rabin), and is considered to have been instrumental to its victory.[25]

The affair also led to an electoral reform and a direct elections format.[26][24][6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Likud Pressuring Shamir On Talks", New York Times, 1990-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  2. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Political Tension In Israel Deepens", New York Times, 1990-03-12. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  3. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Israeli Coalition Dissolves In Fight Over Peace Plan", New York Times, 1990-03-14. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  4. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Cabinet Is Ousted In Israeli Dispute Over Peace Talks", New York Times, 1990-03-16. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  5. ^ Moskowitz, Michael P. (2001-06-15). "Israel's National Unity Governments: A Retrospective". PeaceWatch 330. 
  6. ^ a b The Plenum - Motions of No-Confidence. Knesset website. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
  7. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres Chosen to Try to Form Israeli Cabinet", New York Times, 1990-03-21. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  8. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres At An Impasse In Forming Israeli Government", New York Times, 1990-03-25. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  9. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Orthodox Leader in Israel Appears to Spurn Peres", New York Times, 1990-03-27. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  10. ^ Ben-Haim, Avishai. "Rabbi Eleazar Shach", nrg, 2005-05-19. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.  (Hebrew)
  11. ^ a b c "The dirty trick", msn.co.il. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.  (Hebrew)
  12. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres Says He Can Form Next Israeli Government", New York Times, 1990-04-05. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  13. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Israeli Coalition Cracks At Last Minute", New York Times, 1990-04-12. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  14. ^ Goldman, Ari L.. "One Brooklyn Rabbi's Long Shadow", New York Times, 1990-04-13. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  15. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Israeli Legislator Who Switched Switches Again", New York Times, 1990-04-20. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  16. ^ Carmon, Omer. "The anonymous MKs: I Came, I Profited, I Left", msn.co.il, 2005-12-20. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.  (Hebrew)
  17. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres In Trouble As Deadline Nears", New York Times, 1990-04-26. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  18. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres Gives Up Bid To Form Cabinet; Shamir Will Try", New York Times, 1990-04-27. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  19. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Shamir Accepts Mandate To Form A New Government", New York Times, 1990-04-28. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  20. ^ a b Brinkley, Joel. "Threats From 3 Already Rattle Shamir's Coalition", New York Times, 1990-06-11. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  21. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Assembly Accepts Shamir's Coalition", New York Times, 1990-06-12. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  22. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "Peres Overcomes Rabin Challenge", New York Times, 1990-06-23. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  23. ^ Brinkley, Joel. "As Israeli Politicians Dicker, Popular Movement for Election Reform Grows", New York Times, 1990-05-01. Retrieved on 2008-06-12. 
  24. ^ a b Brinkley, Joel. "Deal-Making in Israel Spurs Demands for Reform", New York Times, 1990-04-06. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  25. ^ Shumpelbi, Atilla. "The Labor awakens with a "Fed Up With The Corrupt" Campaign", Ynet, 2004-09-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-11.  (Hebrew)
  26. ^ The Electoral System in Israel. Knesset website. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
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