Soccer Dad

Boogie's back

Last week in discussing the blogger conference call with Binyamin Netanyahu, I noted the similarity between Netanyahu's views of the conflict with Hezbollah and the views of Gen Moshe "Boogie" Yaalon and speculated

Gen. Yaalon should be completing his fellowship at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy soon and returning to Israel. I was very tempted to ask Netanyahu if he had been in contact with Yaalon about the general's political future. (I don't see Gen Yaalon as a politician, that doesn't mean he won't get involved.) I'm glad I didn't as Netanyahu wouldn't have answered that.

Yesterday, Ed Lasky of the American Thinker gave me a heads up about Gen. Yaalon's impending return to Israel

Just like Ike, the military hero is waiting for the right moment to enter politics. The general so far has not declared his allegiance to any party. In an interview yesterday, Mr. Ya'alon said he was returning from a residency at the Washington Institute for Near East Affairs to take up a post at the Shalem Center, a center-right think tank in Jerusalem, and to write a book.

"I am going back now but I don't want to speak politics. I am ready to speak substance, not to speak about this party or that party, but to speak out my mind," he said.

But Mr. Ya'alon's mind is very much in step with the Likud opposition that has behind the scenes sought to revive its party with his prestige. A poll earlier this year conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs found that Mr. Ya'alon enjoyed a 90% approval rating.

And today, I saw in Israel Matzav that indeed Gen. Yaalon is returning to Israel and it's been confirmed that he will join the Likud party.

Even if it's only speculation, it's still nice to be ahead of the curve.

UPDATE: Mere Rhetoric cites an Arutz-7 report that Likud is recruiting ex-IDF officers. Might one of the other officers being recruited be Gen. Yaakov Amidror who was Gen. Yaalon's deputy in military intelligence? Amidror appears to be seeking a higher profile and is currently involved with one-time (and future?) Netanyahu advisor Dore Gold on the defensible borders project.

Technorati tags: Moshe Yaalon, Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud.