If ever we needed proof that Israel more and more is becoming a banana republic (*) and that our political non-leaders are turning their profession into a farce, today this proof was provided in abundance. The way in which Ariel Sharon tries to get a majority within his government to support his Gaza disengagement plan - by firing two of his ministers who surely would oppose that plan - is questionable. The way in which Tourism Minister Benny Elon is trying to avoid personally receiving the letter by which Sharon fired him ( his dismissal will take effect 48 hours after he personally receives the letter; acording to Ha'Aretz newsflash at 14.05 hr: "Gov`t sources, trying to serve dismissal on minister Elon, say hunt for Nat`l Union MK resembles military operation" ) would make us laugh if things were not that serious. Gideon Alon gives us some possible scenarios for Sunday's cabinet vote on Sharon's plan. It seems that we do not have to ask any more if this government is going to fall, the question is rather when Israel will have to face elections again. Of course we will see several motions of no confidence being submitted the coming days and weeks. The chances of something good coming out of all this mess are small, since the chances of sanity ever taking control of Israeli public opinion and politics are minimal. (*) According to Judy Pearsall, ed., The New Oxford Dictionary of English ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001 ), p. 133: " a small state dependent on foreign capital, typically as a result of the domination of the economy by a single trade, and hence politically unstable". See my posting on June 12th a year ago.