On Sunday night, without any clear reason, Communications and Social Affairs Minister Moshe Kahlon surprised everyone and announced his resignation from politics. Even those in the know had to admit with a heavy heart that they were not sure what made him withdraw while he was still on top, or close to the top. Every wild theory has been painstakingly examined. Kahlon's departure was so unexpected that it makes all fiction seem plausible. Analysts have gone to town: Perhaps Kahlon wants to blackmail Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a better cabinet position; maybe he is pressing to become the next finance minister. But hostile actions like that are not in Kahlon's nature. He enjoys being loved. Also, he had a good chance to win first place in the party primaries, and between that and elections to the Knesset, he could have negotiated for himself from a position of strength and proven success. Maybe he was blackmailed? If so, we're in the dark there are no leads. Sometimes the most farfetched theories turn out to be true, though usually they don't. Kahlon is the most popular minister in the Likud. The media embraces him. He is the people's champion, battling the tycoons and fighting to lowering prices. His life is a Cinderella story: A youth from Givat Olga turned academic in law and political science, proud of his mother, whom he regards as possessing unrivaled wisdom, despite her illiteracy. It seemed as though all options were on the table for the minister until he spoke last night the tone of his voice, his repetition of statements made in previous interviews about wanting to leave, saying he had spoken with Netanyahu three times about withdrawing and that his decision did not come as a surprise. Kahlon received more than 1,500 text messages after his announcement. One of them was from Ilan Ben-Dov, the majority stockholder of Partner, Israel's second largest cellphone company. Ben-Dov had previously accused Kahlon of pushing to lower cellphone prices as a ploy to win popularity among Likud voters. Kahlon had told Ben-Dov that he was wrong; he wasn't after party popularity since he had no intention of continuing his political career. Kahlon told him that after 12 years in the public sphere, he intended to shift his focus elsewhere. Ben-Dov was incredulous, but on Sunday he admitted he believed the announcement to be true Kahlon is a man of his word. Kahlon had spoken about quitting in multiple interviews over the years; why do people cast doubt on politicians- If Kahlon's reason for his retirement is true, then he is a politician the likes of which we have never seen before in Israel. There has yet to be politician who has withdrawn from the public arena after such a string of successes, and at such a young age (not yet 52). Kahlon is the one politician who cannot be allowed to leave politics, but paradoxically, if he now decides to stay, he'll lose some of his well-earned reputation as a man of his word. Kahlon's departure creates a big problem for the Likud. It tears at the fabric of the party's social agenda 100 days before the vote, forcing it to find a new shield against Labor Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich's expected assault regarding social issues during the election campaign for the 19th Knesset. As the elections approach, we can expect new surprises every day.
