Viewpoint Anyone but Netanyahu in Israeli
elecion
By NEVE GORDON
Israels May 17 elections are
in sight, and it is not hyperbole to say that the countrys fate -- and in
many ways the regions as well -- is in the voters hands.
The person elected will have the power to pursue peace with the
Arab neighbors, or conversely, to preserve the existing stalemate. He can
either terminate the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip or he can
choose to continue oppressing over 2 million Palestinians.
In addition, Israels next prime minister will be able to
promote religious pluralism by undercutting the monopoly held today by
ultra-orthodox Jews, or he can continue supporting them, alienating secular,
reform and conservative Jews both in Israel and all over the world.
Three men are competing for the No. 1 spot: incumbent Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Labor Partys Ehud Barak and former defense
minister Yitschak Mordechai who left the governing Likud Party to head a new
center alliance. It is fairly evident that there will be two rounds in this
race, since in order to be elected one must procure over 50 percent of the vote
and none of the contenders will be able to do so outright. The two who gain the
most votes in the first round will compete in the second.
Voting for Netanyahu is out of the question for four major
reasons. First, Netanyahu is hostile to peace. He has done everything in his
power to annihilate the peace accords signed with the Palestinians, and his
policies have led Syria to freeze all bilateral negotiations. Other Arab
neighbors that were previously warming up to Israel no longer want diplomatic
relations with the country, and even Egypts President Mubarak has
publicly stated that he does not believe a word that comes out of the Israeli
premiers mouth. Within three years, the promise Rabin brought to this
conflict-ridden region has all but evaporated, and talk of war is once again in
the air.
Second, the prime minister has adopted Thatchers ruthless
economic strategy. He has encouraged rapid privatization of publicly owned
industry and services at the expense of benefits provided to the
underprivileged classes. Indeed, he has abandoned Israels poor. Third, he
constantly bows to the ultra-orthodox Jews, forsaking all other branches of
Judaism.
Finally, Netanyahu has seriously damaged the countrys
political culture. His divisive political appointments have threatened the
essential separation of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, and,
in this manner, he has endangered Israels democracy. Moreover, he has
made lying his modus operandi so that even his confidants cannot rely on him.
Mordechai, like Moshe Dayan, Yitzak Rabin, Ariel Sharon and many
others, is a former army general and gained entry into the political
establishment by virtue of his membership in Israels military oligarchy.
However, unlike past Israeli prime ministers, who were European either by birth
or ancestry, Mordechai is a Sephardic Jew -- a Kurd. This is the first time in
Israels 50-year history that a non-European Jew has a chance to become
prime minister. In this sense, he is a refreshing phenomenon on the Israeli
political landscape, not unlike Kennedys appearance in the late
1950s.
Unfortunately, Mordechai is neither charismatic nor an inspiring
figure. As one former aide put it: Mordechai makes decisions according to
the polls.
Mordechai, I think, supports the Oslo Accords and favors a
peaceful solution with Israels Arab neighbors, but he has yet to present
a program regarding the peace process. He has no clear economic policy and
surely no plans to separate synagogue from state.
Since he decided to join the fray, he has been pandering to the
ultra-orthodox, even as they attack the Supreme Court and reject all forms of
religious pluralism. Mordechai, it seems, is willing to accept their dominion
over Judaism. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, he just might receive my vote,
primarily because Labors leader, Barak, has little to recommend him.
Baraks blandness reminds me of Michael Dukakis on a bad day.
Like Mordechai, he is not a man of principle, so when the religious right
raises its voice, he cringes. Lately, he sounds more hawkish than Netanyahu.
Despite the fact that he sees himself as Rabins heir, I have yet to hear
him say the two words Palestinian and state together.
Barak criticizes Netanyahu for abandoning the poor but is nettled
when called a lefty. He is afraid to antagonize big business, since the Labor
Party receives most of its support from the affluent classes -- not from
low-wage employees. People who have worked with him say that he is
authoritarian and does not heed others.
Perhaps most important, Barak has no vision for which he is
willing to stand up. Neither he nor Mordechai joined the 50,000 demonstrators
who supported the Supreme Court against an unprecedented attack launched by the
ultra-orthodox zealots. Their fear of alienating the fanatic Jewish voters
overrides their concern for democracy.
Thats the bleak situation, and I must admit that it hurts to
write about it. As an Israeli, I am anxious about the countrys future,
the quality of its democracy and the peace process. The Bible recounts periods
where the people of Israel were lead by myopic leaders and underscores the dire
ramifications of unjust rule.
In the current political constellation, where Israel lacks a
worthy leader, it is crucial to support one of the smaller parties like Meretz
or Hadash, which are fighting for a better and more just Israel. While I have
yet to decide whether to vote for Barak or Mordechai, one thing is clear:
Anyone will be better than Netanyahu.
Neve Gordon writes from Jerusalem.
National Catholic Reporter, May 14,
1999
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