Politics and parks

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Snapped this billboard of Tsipi Livni yesterday on Rothschild. It shows a tired and confused looking Livni next to the slogan (chalasha bevitachon) 'Weak in Security' and the sub-slogan that would translate into "Her boots aren't big enough" or "She's not up to the job". This is part of the negative campaigns that both the Likud and the Labour Party are waging against Livni. Might it be possible that this is why she is the most strident in demanding immediate and major responses to the trickle of qassam fire and attacks on troops along the border with Gaza that have started to erode the cease-fire?

After all Labour's leader is defense minister "Mr. Security" Ehud Barak, former chief of general staff who was the commander of Likud leader Binyamin 'Strong on Security' Netanyahu in the crack sayeret matkal unit. So Tsipi has her work cut out to prove her military credentials. Her TV campaign spots mention that her father was in the Etzel and that she worked for the Mossad but this is small potatoes compared to the balls of the guys.
In any event it looks as though the violence is going to accompany us right into the Feb 10 elections. The cabinet today decided to dish up a "disproportionate" response to the qassams. The only nunaces are between Tsipi, who wants action now and Barak, who just said that "unlike people who have never held a gun" (nudge nudge, wink wink) he knew that these things needed to be planned and all consequences taken into account etc etc.

In case anyone was wondering, the three main issues of this election campaign are, inevitably, and yet again, security, security and security. All other issues , even the downspiral of the economy, having been relegated to 4th place at best.

To take our minds off the deeeply depressing thought that Bibi Netanyahu will soon be our prime minister, we attempted to commune with nature on our Shabbat morning walk.

Here's Gan Meir (Meir Park) abutting onto King George Street, near Dizengoff Centre.


And here's a garden shared by several old blocks of flats on Mazeh Street. We met someone who lives here and invited us in to take a look. Another oasis, very near to one of the busiest streets in Tel Aviv.


On the same subject, here's a picture of the new park in the old Templer Sarona neighbourhood, surrounded today by skyscrapers. The fence in the foreground is from the 19th century. The kids, unfortunately for them, are from the 21st.



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