Less than a week after Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz dropped a political bombshell by joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, the former opposition party was abuzz over a possible split. Rumors persisted that former chairwoman Tzipi Livni and outgoing Kadima Council head Haim Ramon were orchestrating a move to entice certain Kadima members to defect and form a new party. Mofaz's coalition deal, which was closely coordinated with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, sent shockwaves through the political world after it was announced at 2 a.m. Tuesday, moments before the Knesset was to dissolve itself and call early elections for September. "Since Kadima joined the coalition the two [Livni and Ramon] have been closely coordinating a move to unravel party in coming days," one source from Kadima said Thursday. Mofaz, who until joining the government this week was the newly minted head of the largest opposition party, was lambasted by his critics for sacrificing his principles to avert being crushed at the polls. Prior to the surprise announcement, polls indicated that the once-dominant Kadima party was headed for a particularly poor showing, with some analysts predicting it might win only a handful of seats and eventually disappear altogether. Ramon has already said he would like to create a new party that would include both Livni and Yair Lapid, the journalist and former TV personality who announced his entry into politics several months ago. Kadima insiders say Ramon hopes his efforts will eventually lead to what he calls the "second political big bang" (the first one being the creation of the centrist Kadima party in 2005 under the leadership of then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon). "Livni and Ramon have been applying pressure on MKs to seize the moment and defect," said another Kadima source, who went on to say that former party spokesman Shmulik Dahan and Livni's media adviser Gil Messing have been advancing this move as well. Party officials believe several Kadima MKs have already indicated they would like to defect and join Livni and Ramon, but according to the law a new Knesset faction can only be created if seven MKs launch the move (or alternatively, a third of the party's representatives). Should the move succeed, they would then seek to add two more MKs to their faction to become the official opposition party (Labor, which currently heads the opposition, comprises eight MKs). Livni's allies in the party, who endorsed her in the primaries, are among the likeliest to defect. Livni associates on Thursday dismissed the reports on a possible defection, calling them "rubbish." Meanwhile, Mofaz, who has recently been appointed vice prime minister as part of the new coalition agreement, responded to the criticism over his controversial move, attacking his detractors. "There are certain moments when leaders make a decision, even if they are supposedly unpopular," Mofaz wrote on his Facebook wall. "I have taken note of the criticism leveled against me ... but we have been presented with a unique opportunity to achieve progress on key issues." One of the biggest challenges facing the unity government relates to the Tal Law, which effectively exempts ultra-Orthodox youth from military or national service. The High Court of Justice has recently declared the law unconstitutional and instructed the Knesset to legislate an alternative or repeal it altogether by August 1. Netanyahu announced Thursday that he planned to hold discussions on this matter as early as next week and hopes to strike a consensus on the matter. "The new law will gradually increase the sharing of the burden and make more Jews and Arabs serve without pitting each community against the other," Netanyahu said Thursday. The unity agreement stipulates that a Kadima-led panel will draft the new military service bill. MK Yohanan Plesner (Kadima) was recently tapped for that role. Meanwhile, Lapid reiterated his pledge not to include any incumbent politicians in his party's Knesset candidate list for the next elections (currently scheduled for late 2013). At an event for party activists, Lapid said his candidate slate will include "people who have led large apparatuses." Lapid, who recently formed the Yesh Atid ("There is a Future") party, condemned Mofaz's move.
