By Aviel Schneider

Think Whatsapp is only something you use with families or amongst groups of friends? Not in Israel, where Whatsapp has become something of a raucous digital town hall. Case in point, Israel’s Channel 2 News reported on a Whatsapp group that includes a large number of Israeli Knesset members from across the political spectrum.

The group includes Ofir Akunis (Likud), Miri Regev (Likud), Moshe Feiglin (Likud), Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, Itzik Shmueli (Labor), Eitan Cabel (Labor), Miki Rosenthal (Labor), Boaz Toporovsky (Yesh Atid), Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid), Alex Miller (Yisrael Beiteinu), Danny Dayan (Jewish Home), Tamar Sandberg (Meretz) and many others.

A transcript of a recent exchange in the group went as follows:

Akunis: As soon as the Islamic terrorism takes over Europea, the EU will change their minds [regarding Hamas].

Sandberg: Ofir, you have nothing else to do? Take care of your oil problem in the desert.

Dayan: Shalom and greetings to all listeners.

Tibi: Akunis, you need to resign your office. As Environment Minister you failed. When did Israel ever experience such an oil spill?

Akunis: I care about the oil spill. But won’t ignore this embarrassing EU decision. I condemn the EU decision with or without oil disaster.

Tibi: Your government is a disaster.

Shmueli: If I were in your [Akunis’] place, I’d instead worry about the Likud disaster in the Knesset.

Dayan: And you, Shmueli, should you worry about negotiating prowess of your party leader Isaac Herzog [who recently gave many Labor positions in a merger with Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua faction]

Akunis: Dayan’s right! Concern yourself first about the [poor] humor of Tzipi Livni [who recently used off-color humor to lambast Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a popular television satire show]

Shmueli: Did I hurt you?

Akunis: I think you feel offended.

Sandberg: Careful, it’s not only [Netanyahu’s] government that’s on the way out.

Regev: Everyone on the left is full of talk. You count your money in the bank, not in the stairwell. The merger between Labor and Livni has only reinforced Likud, but thanks anyway.

Shmueli: Regev, we won’t let you drag us back into chaos.

Sandberg: Applause.

Dayan: Shmueli, and you actually care about the poor people?

Regev: The poor people are the people, and the left are disconnected from the them.

View original Israel Today publication at: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/25713/Default.aspx