Livni is that rare politician—who tells the truth

REHOVOT, ISRAEL— Kadima has now drawn even with the Likud in some recent polls despite the fact that Kadima leader Tzipi Livni has the unnerving habit of telling the truth, even when her views do not coincide with those of most Israelis.

This characteristic was evident most recently when she commented upon the campaign designed to gain the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. There have been rallies and demonstrations here, which, each time, have resulted in ever-steeper Hamas demands for the release of its killers in return. Once it asked for a few hundred. Now it demands 1400.

Livni disagrees with "the public perception that the issue of Shalit's release is up to us. It is not a question of what we want or don't want. It is a question of what is and isn't possible. Not everything can be done."

This is not an abstract issue for Livni, whose son Yuval has just been drafted into the paratroopers. "I hope nothing will happen to him, but," she added, "he is a soldier."

Most other politicians have kept silent on the issue or openly disagreed with Livni. But Dr. Yehuda Ben Meir, a lecturer and lawyer who was once a leader of the National Religious Party, is a notable exception. "A normal country and a wise nation," he said, "seeks leaders who tell the truth—not those who speak to the people in populist slogans, clichés, double-talk and only what they want to hear."

Ben Meir cites the late Yitzhak Rabin as an exception to this rule and now, he adds, Tzipi Livni has proven herself to be the same type of person. "With admirable courage she has firmly opposed the emotional, populist and irresponsible public discourse."

As Ben Meir sees it, the movement for Shalit's return, "under the patronage of the irresponsible and rating-hungry media," has damaged Shalit's cause and his chances to return. Were Hamas not certain that internal Israeli pressure would force the government to accept all its demands, Shalit may well have been home a long time ago."

While agreeing that securing the release of captives is an important value of Judaism, and central to Israeli values, this must be balanced, argues Ben Meir, against other, no less important values. These include deterrence, standing up against bitter enemies and the fact that the lives of many people may be endangered by giving in to Hamas' inflated demands.

It is hard for Israeli politicians to tell the truth, that it is likely to be "blood, sweat and tears" for us in the foreseeable future. But perhaps there is still room for someone like Livni who tells the truth, however unpalatable. .