Israeli Elections are only a week away and although I have leanings towards some of the parties I have yet to make a final choice. I have decided to "put it out there" and see what comments I get. I know this is a dangerous proposition with the way the "talk back" culture has devolved but I am counting on more constructive banter than hogwash and I have a decent BS filter anyway.
Many of my American friends laugh at the choices we have in the Israeli political system and in truth when I review the possibilities I also have a chuckle or two but the Israeli scene will never be condensed to a two party system. By virtue of the fact that a coalition must be formed having a shortened list of choices might guarantee that smaller parties have a strangle hold on the newly elected government. More choices might actually make for a more stable government. When all is said and done stable is usually better for the country. So bring on the parties.
Typically I describe myself as left of center (no reference to the Suzanna Vega song) but definitely outside of the box. I believe in socialist values yet I also believe in the choice of the individual. I am glad we have an extensive health care system that was founded in more socialist times and yet leaves some wiggle room for individual choice. I believe we have to make concessions for a more viable political atmosphere in the Middle East in order to secure borders and protect ourselves. I also strongly believe in a dynamic Jewish state that grants the individual the right to choose a personalized implementation of their own Judaism. I probably will never understand why Jewish women praying at the Western wall threatens anybody else's Judaism but accosting random travelers and proselytizing them is okay. The Waqaf is the policing body of the temple mount but the real extremists control the Western Wall. Enough said.
One of the advantages of being Joe Citizen is that I can flip flop on ideas and ideals without much attention focused on me. Politicians are held under a microscope and picked apart whenever they zig or zag. So here are the parties that are on my short list or for some other reason I find it important to mention:
Likud - Beitanu
No, this party is not on my short list but since this will most likely be the party of choice for a plurality of voters it is worth mentioning. I do not feel that the recent meld of the Netanyahu lead Likud with the Avigdor Lieberman Yisrael Betanu is the axis of evil. I suppose many Israelis see this party as a balanced centrist party that plans on doing whatever it has been doing for the past four years. So if you want more of the same I can understand voting for them. I, however, am not interested in the same so I will not be voting for them but understanding that they will (most likely) be forming the next government will influence who I ultimately vote for. So do I vote for a party that will try and balance the Likud in an attempt to centralize the government policies or do I look for a party that is closer to my values and will, at worst, fight for its ideals in opposition. It is worth mentioning that I am tired of opposition parties that only oppose the government and never side with the government when they are in agreement. This reminds my of the Monty Python skit, The Argument Clinic and that is just silly.
Labor
For many years I voted Labor. The party line was close to mine and even if they supported issues I supported I didn't always feel they were successful in bringing about change. Post Rabin I did not support labor because of personality conflicts. I could not vote for a party with the likes of Ehud Barak and later on with the nearly incompetent Amir Peretz. There are just certain personalities that I will not support. In fact this wasn't originally on my short list because of Amir Peretz's number two slotting but since he jumped ship they are now close to the top. Shelly seems genuine and I find myself agreeing with much of what she has to say. The labor party still reflects many (but not all) of the opinions I hold as important. I prefer to vote for an established party with a good chance of influencing the politic although I don't see them as furthering issues of religious freedom as much as they will economic reform. Labor made a big deal about not sitting with a Netanyahu government and I think that is a mistake. Labor should have backed off that issue, after all they are in it to win, not to come in second place. It would be more responsible to say they will not back down from certain issues rather than point fingers and name calling.
Hatnua
I voted for Tzipi Livni when she was head of the Kadima party and I was happy to see her have the chance to form a government. It is worth revealing that I believe more women should be in politics. The men in Israeli politics seem to only come from the army or religious circles and our country has had enough of both those sectors. I respected Livni's decision to go to opposition rather than give into right wing religious demands but that is where she fell short. Being in opposition isn't just saying no. Perhaps she never had true support from her party of perhaps she had her eye on a new organization but she was ousted. In fact the party, Hatnua, seems to be made up of a group of people who have jumped ship and are letting the currents of issues take them down stream instead of steering for a more clear political vision. Although generally accepted as spin, I can imagine Tzipi leaving the party if it were relegated to the back benches. She is a woman of many talents and I don't think she will waste them on a "party" that has little or no future. On the other hand if they find themselves in the catbird seat and an offer of stature is made, she may be amenable to staying on until the next life raft floats by.
Meretz
When I talk about voting I refer to those people who vote from the heart (and only the heart) and those that vote for more "strategic" reasons. When I voted for Kadima it was because I wanted to bolster the primary opposition to the Likud party and in fact I was not alone...so much so that Kadima ended up with winning the plurality. Many planks in the Meretz platform should be required reading by all members of Knesset and time after time Meretz MKs have show that they know how to affect change even if they comprise only a handful of seats, I guess it is the ole quality over quantity ideal. For all that they speak towards compromise between us and the Palestinians I feel they reject compromise within the Jewish majority. I suppose I feel more secure with more parties that are more centrist. I would hate to see a Knesset that is void of Meretz but I don't think they are getting my vote.
Yesh Atid
This party is headed by television celebrity Yair Lapid and many people would be hard pressed to name one other person on their list. One reason for this is that Lapid hand picked the ticket to deny standing MKs a place in the list. I suppose the main thing they have going for them is that as MKs they haven't let anyone down. Much of the Yesh Atid platform speaks to me and addresses the most pressing issues of our society. As opposed to other parties, Lapid has not outright rejected sitting with a Netanyahu lead government. In some ways I feel a vote for this party is a vote against the old stodgy parties that continue to prop up relics from the past who do very little to earn their political keep.
Am Shalem
This is another figure lead party, headed by Haim Amsalem who splintered from Shas. This party could possibly be the shocker of the election. More than a few of my friends have talked favorably about this party and I can understand why. The party is founded on bringing factions within the Jewish people together so who can really oppose that. The straw that broke Amsalem's back when he was with Shas was over draft exemptions for Yeshiva students. Am Shalem supports full draft into the army as well as encouraging more involvement in the work force, paying taxes, and contributing to society; in fact it is hard to find a reason not to vote for them. As with Yesh Atid, figure lead parties rarely sprout a full head of qualified statesman. My preference is not to use my vote on a small party. The small party is going to get in (or not) with or without my help so the effect my vote has will probably be negligible whereas with a mid-sized party or large party that extra MK might make the change in the parties ability to leverage a deal for their party and the ideals in their platform.
Ale Yarok
No list would be complete with the Green Leaf - Liberal Ticket party. I don't really give a hoot about normalizing marijuana use, but this party will demand a repeal to the high tax on beer production and I support the craft beer industry so that is a point in their favor. They also want to repeal the monopoly the Rabbanut has on Kashrut certification. It might sound counter intuitive but the controls that the Rabbanut exercises over Kashrut certification have corrupted more souls than they have saved. In truth the Kashrut industry is lead by the Badatz which has out Koshered the Rabbanut and scared any large manufacturer to grease the palms of the their organization for Kashrut. I do believe in government control of the licencing of Kashrut (like health regulations, fair trade, and work place issues) but I am not sure the power should be in the hands of those that have proven they know how to abuse it. I am skeptical that this party will muster enough votes to overcome the voter threshold, so I am reluctant to "waste" my vote on them. After all I wouldn't want my votes wasted.
I know it might seem to anyone with the stamina to read this entire tirade that I might not vote for anybody but that is not the case. Not voting is not an option. I will also not vote for "The Cat Party" or the "Pirates" or for any party that is tantamount to not voting.
There it is. I feel like I just hung my laundry on the front lawn and am just waiting for the neighbors to complain...but hey it is better than never speaking with your neighbors. Let me know what you think. I will either listen, ignore, or perhaps I will just have to do my laundry again.
Happy voting, and remember...it isn't enough for your party to win, the country has something to do with it too.
