The Dilemma Facing the Israeli Left

In an interesting editorial today, the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot calls for dramatic change among Israel's two major left-wing political parties. Their quandary, it sounds, is much like that facing U.S. Republicans -- how to find a new message that resonates with the populace.

The collapse of the Labor Party and of Meretz in the recent elections is so dramatic that it must lead to a genuine shake-up in the Zionist Left...to stop devoting all resources to the Palestinian issue.

For too long, left-wing Zionists have fixated on a "peace process" with the Palestinians while completely ignoring reality. That reality -- over the last nine years, in particular -- has been that the Palestinians are unprepared to compromise on anything while demanding more of Israel, literally. Yet, left-wing Israeli Zionists still aim to forge a peace deal. Instead, they've lost all credibility, as shown in the February 10 balloting.

Former Labor party leader and current Israeli President Shimon Peres's contrition regarding his support of a Gaza withdrawal sets the right tone.

[Gaza] should have been done otherwise. I was for leaving Gaza. I consider myself as one of the persons mistaken.

Left-wing Israeli would do better to refocus their energies on other, domestic challenges facing Israel. Meanwhile, Israel's soon-to-be, right-of-center coalition government will work to ensure Israeli security until Palestinians are truly ready for a productive peace process.

Which Israeli Political Party Would You Support?

There is an interesting online survey available which helps you determine where you'd fall on Israel's political spectrum and which Israeli political party you'd support.

Apparently, the survey is designed to help undecided Israeli voters (at least 30 percent of whom reportedly remain undecided) for whom they ought to vote.

Some of the questions are very difficult, in the sense that they really make you reconsider, or at least struggle with, long-held beliefs. Others are simply poorly-written, and I suspect probably to skew the results.

For example, one question asks whether freedom of speech should be protected in Israel even for those who "speak against the state." Well, obviously, many supporters of democracy will answer "yes." But in the context of Israel, "speaking against the state" really refers to those Arab Knesset (parliament) members who travel to Lebanon and Syria to participate in anti-Israel rallies organized by Hizballah and Hamas. In this proper context, the answer to the question then ought to be a resounding "no."

Decide for yourself what, if any, other questions are equally disturbing or unfair.

Meantime, I'm proud that I ranked a solid "hawk." You'll see what I mean when you see your own results.