The Militarists and Haters Win in Israeli Elections

[Ken Burch]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/the-militarists-and-hater_b_6892888.html

Winners: Netanyahu, AIPAC, US Republican Party, Sheldon Adelson (American Jewish billionaire funder of the right), Hamas, Islamic State, the right-wing Mullahs in Iran.

Losers: Israeli, World Jewry, the Palestinian people, the forces for peace and non-violence everywhere, the Palestinian Authority, the people of Iran, the people of the U.S.

[Ken Burch]

1. More:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/the-militarists-and-hater_b_6892888.html

The first culprit here is Hamas. Hamas' decision to bomb Israeli cities last summer was not only an ethically hateful violation of human rights, targeting Israeli civilians, pushing millions to run into air raid shelters day after day for much of the summer, but it was also massive victory for right-wingers in Israel who were thereby able to justify Israel's massive assault on Gaza but also to recredit in the minds of many Israelis the most fearful vision of Jews being in danger of annihilation even though Israel is by far the strongest military force in the middle east and the only one with massive nuclear weapons. Hamas is playing a dirty game here, believing that Israel's extremists will ultimately cause Israel to lose the support of most of the countries of the world, and weaken Israel in the long run. Moreover, Netanyahu's explicit rejection of a Palestinian state gives Hamas the upper hand in its political battle with the Palestinian Authority which had agreed to the Obama/Kerry strategy of negotiations with Israel to create a Palestinian state. With that no longer an option, Hamas' commitment to replace Israel with a "one state solution" will seem the only remaining option to many Palestinians and hence increase Hamas' political power in any future Palestinian election.

For the same reason, most of the Islamic fundamentalist violent extremists will be rejoicing over the Israeli vote. It is in their interests to portray Israel as an evil state, and the racism and militarism that just got a new lease on life in Israel will help them make their case.

[Ken Burch]

2. More:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/the-militarists-and-hater_b_6892888.html

But why did the progressive peace voice have so little impact in Israel? The answer to this is startling: it didn't have much electoral impact because it was almost totally absent from the discourse of the supposedly left former Labor Party which now calls itself "The Zionist Union."

That party spent much of its time focused on matters of economic inequality, while simultaneously trying to prove itself equally militant with Netanyahu both in regard to Palestinians and in regard to Iran. They thus followed the same bankrupt path that Democrats have followed in the US, failing to articulate a different worldview from the militarists, instead trying to insist that they would be just as militant and just as determined to wipe out "the enemy" (whoever that is perceived to be).

Its an old secret of politics that when people want a warlike government or a racist government, they vote for right wingers. It's a useless strategy for Labor in Israel or for the right wing of the Democratic Party to present itself as the "better militarists," because people who want that will end up voting for the Right anyway. Obama should have learned that when, instead of ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he had led his followers to believe he would do, he instead escalated those wars with "surges," the result was not a victory for the Dems in 2010 and ever since, but rather a growing militarism in the U.S. and a consequent capture of Congress by the Right.

If you listened to the television ads in Israel abut the elections, one barely heard a peep suggesting that the real issue in the elections was peace with Palestine, peace with Iran, or an end to Israel treating the US President as though they owned him. The parties did their best to stay away from the reality that a vote for Likud would de facto mean more wars and violence for the citizens of Israel.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Sadly true

[Mosby]

4. interesting piece, thx for posting

Did bibi really say that Iran should not be able to develop nuclear energy?

Lerners idealism sounds great but it's just not realistic, though he does provide some decent analysis here re Hamas etc.

[aranthus]

5. And yet,

If I understand the results correctly, Likud and the Right in general lost seats as compared with the last election. Just not as many as pre-election polling (which was clearly flawed--see the article in todays LA Times) had predicted. Granted, Likud's "success" in not getting trounced was probably due to some last minute ugly and despicable campaigning by Netanyahu. However, he still has to cobble together a ruling coalition. His statements about no Palestinian state and running against Israeli Arabs may (and should) come back to bite him. The leadership of Kulanu and Yesh Atid don't like Bibi, and maybe they can be shamed into not joining a government with him in it. The fat lady hasn't sung yet.

[Mosby]

6. Bibis going to offer the Finance Minister seat to Kahlon

But hertzog and livni might offer him the same thing so who knows, though he used to be in Likud and was in Bibi's cabinet twice before.

[Ken Burch]

7. Sharon used to be in Likud and ended up forming a government that excluded them, IIRC.

Not that he was a saint, but still.

[android fan]

8. No chance Kulanu goes for the coalition

They'd rather sit it out and force Bibi to call the elections in 40 days when they fail to make the coalition.

[Mosby]

9. if bibi can't get to 61 then the zionist party gets the chance.

and bibi can't get to 61 without yesh atid or kulanu joining.

[android fan]

10. Right.

I know MK rather join with Herzog to form the coalition. Minority coalition?

[Ken Burch]

13. I think there's a question of how many votes are needed to win a motion of confidence.

Zionist Union might be able to get a plurality(more yes than no votes, but not a majority)if the Joint List(predominantly Arab parties plus the Arab and Jewish Hadash party)were to work out an agreement to abstain on such a motion-but if a government has to get the backing of a majority of the entire Knesset(61 out of 120)it will have trouble doing that.

if Zionist Union is to win in a second election, they need to combine the emphasis they were placing on social justice issues with a willingness to make the connection with the fact that continuing the Occupation at full strength(and continuing a policy of relentless confrontation with Gaza, even though it's clear that such a policy can never lead to the military defeat of Hamas)will make it impossible to address the social needs of the country-needs that are just as important as "security".

If they can make that connection, and if they are willing to make the case that breaking with the hardline approach towards Palestinians is the only way to make life better for ordinary Israelis, then Zionist Union might be able to win over voters it isn't getting now, especially low-income voters who aren't going to the polls at the present.

[aranthus]

12. Herzog needs both and Arab List to form a coalition without the religous parties.

Can he put that together?

[Ken Burch]

14. Difficult, to say the least.

As I understand it, it is still considered anathema in Israeli politics to even consider formal inclusion of Israeli Arab parties as part of a governing coalition(there have been a couple of Israeli Arab cabinet ministers, IIRC, but they were MKs for either Labor or Kadima).

[Dick Dastardly]

15. I have read most of the Arab parties have usually ruled out joining anyn coalition.

I don't doubt that it is probably both reasons.


I was also surprised to read that Likud and Yisrael Beitanu both have Arab MKs and have also both placed them in cabinet posts including President the head of state.

[Scootaloo]

16. And where did you read this?

[Dick Dastardly]

17. Here is a few of the articles I read. As I said I, was surprised.

The list is ideologically diverse and includes communists, socialists, feminists, Islamists, and Palestinian nationalists.[8][9][5]After having united parties with various political agendas, Odeh met with Jewish Hadash activists, including former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, in an attempt to allay concerns that the new alliance would dilute the party's principles, such as gender equality.[10]The alliance's 2015 election campaign focused on preventing Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government and helping the Labor Party–led Zionist Union do so instead.[5]In March 2015 (after the Zionist Union had signed a vote-sharing agreement with Meretz, and Kulanu with Israel Beytenu), officials from the Zionist Union, Meretz, and Yesh Atid explored the idea that the Zionist Union and Meretz revoke their agreement so that the Zionist Union could share surplus votes with Yesh Atid, and Meretz with the Joint List, in order to potentially strengthen the dovish bloc in the Knesset.[11] However, the offer caused intra-list tension; Hadash (including Dov Khenin and Joint List chief Odeh) and the United Arab List supported the partnership with Meretz, but the Islamic Movement and especially Balad opposed it.[12][13][14] According to Nahum Barnea, most of the list, including Jamal Zahalka of Balad, supported the agreement, but Qatar, which reportedly funds Balad's coffers, sided with the hard-line elements within Balad and had them come out against it.[15] After the Joint List announced it would not share votes with any party, Meretz officials declared that the List had chosen nationalism and separatism over Jewish–Arab solidarity.[16]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_List




Majalli Wahabi (Hebrew: מגלי והבה?, Arabic: مجلي وهبه?, also spelled Majalli Wahbee, born 12 February 1954) is an Israeli Druze politician who served as a member of theKnesset for Likud, Kadima and Hatnuah between 2003 and 2013.[1] He briefly assumed the position of Acting President due to President Moshe Katzav's leave of absence and Interim President Dalia Itzik's trip abroad in February 2007, making him the first non-Jew and the first Druze to act as Israel's head of state
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majalli_Wahabi

One surprise candidate is Hamad Amar of Shfaram, a long-time activist in Yisrael Beiteinu, and 12th on the party's list. Amar, who declined to answer questions Sunday about his candidacy, would only say that for the Druze community, Yisrael Beiteinu's campaign slogan "no citizenship without loyalty" is a natural one. Like the other Druze candidates, Amar has promised to work on behalf of his community.Because there is a relatively large number of candidates, however, it seems that none of them will be elected solely because they are Druze. Indeed, there are 60,000 Druze with the right to vote - a little more than two Knesset seats.Deputy Foreign Minister Majali Wahabi (Kadima), a Druze, said yesterday that his community cannot be expected to vote en bloc: "The large parties have to understand the importance of our community. I personally plan to represent my people faithfully, but also anyone who voted for my party, no matter what sector they come from. I believe in our involvement in Israeli society, not in separate parties."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/elections-2009-druze-likely-to-comprise-5-of-next-knesset-despite-small-population-1.266977

[Scootaloo]

18. There's a difference between vote-sharing and joining a coalition, though

I'd also suggest having a look at one of the Haaretz articles cited.

[Dick Dastardly]

19. I only have a general understanding of how their government works, but from

my understanding the difference is small like between 6 or 1/2 dozen. . Vote sharing is like forming a coalition before the election, at the end its the same thing.
This is what I am understanding anyway.

[sabbat hunter]

20. I believe that the JAL

could vote to support Herzog as PM (thereby giving him the needed 61 votes to become PM) without officially joining the coalition.

It would make his government very shaky though, need to constantly work deals to avoid a VoNC

[Ken Burch]

11. I think Haaretz should start running a "count-down" on its website

Which would list the number of days left before new elections are required.

I think that much of the hopes of the world here hinge on what Kahlon and Lapid do.