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Israel’s

Merry-go-Round

David M. Elections:
Weinberg

A Primer

their big identify least with mainstream Zionist
challenges; no loyalties.
fairy-tale diplomatic gam-
T ake a deep breath, every- bits worth taking; and no magicians mainly are selling fallacies instead
This leaves Israel with politicians who
who easily can fix all matters. Even
of tackling real issues with concrete
Binyamin Netanyahu’s charms are
policy solutions. This is true of almost
body, and put some cynical
wearing thin.
filters in your ears. Israel is
November, as follows:
stronger, more stable, and saner than Israelis are not faced with a choice every party running for Knesset in
it may look over the next 50 days of between good and evil. What they face Likud
election campaigning. is another muddy election in a convo-
luted Israeli political system where Netanyahu and his lieutenants are
It’s important to say this because negative campaigning and personal promising right-wing voters an “over-
politicians are running hysterical animosities are at a peak. haul” of the justice system and legal-
campaigns that portray Israel as a ization of all small/young settlements
country in danger of going down the Moreover, the core sociological-po- in Judea and Samaria. But none of Net-
drain; that portray this race – Israel’s litical divides in Israel remain quite anyahu’s governments over the past 12
fifth election within three years – as constant. Likud and right-religious years truly tackled these challenges.
a battle for Israel’s “soul”; as a sink or parties reflect middle-class and Netanyahu would bring Charedi par-
swim moment for the Jewish people. nationalist-centrist preferences and ties back into government, rolling back
are sizably the majority force in Israel.
This is nonsense. Israel does not whatever reforms in matters of reli-
stand at an apocalyptic tipping point. Left and centrist-left parties (which gion and state were introduced by the
The contours of Israeli diplomatic, has included, in recent decades, Labor, outgoing Yamina-Yesh Atid coalition
economic, and social policy are rela- Kadima, Zionist Union, Yesh Atid, Blue- government.
tively constricted by the realities of White, and now National Unity) rep- Yesh Atid
the times – including uncertain global resent the upper-income echelons of Yair Lapid promises to “protect” the
leadership, regional threats (mainly society and are a shrinking minority. justice system from right-wing chal-
from Iran), the fecklessness of Israel’s In any case, neither “side” of the polit- lenges and to maintain good relations
Palestinian neighbors, and the struc- ical divide is likely to be succeed at with Israel’s democratic (and Demo-
tural limitations (some would say, the
A member of inertia and lethargy) of Israeli coali- forming a 61-seat majority coalition cratic) partners abroad by preserv-
the Mizrachi tion politics. in Knesset without reliance on either ing the two-state option for a future
Speakers Bureau Arab or Charedi parties – which rep- moment when the Palestinians might
mizrachi.org/ Consequently, most Israelis realize resent the poorest segments of Israeli be willing to compromise with Israel.
speakers there are no magical solutions to society and the two segments that But Lapid has no clear defense policy

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