How
history repeats itself in different circumstances. According to a Jpost report
of July 21st, 2019 "Labor chairman Amir Peretz 1 said on Sunday in an
interview with Army Radio that there is no way for the Labor party to run for
the upcoming September 17 elections with Meretz or Former Prime Minister Ehud
Barak's Israel Democratic Party. Peretz's words were made after the Labor party
merged with Orly Levy-Abucassis' Gesher, which sparked waves of criticism among
the leftist parties" 2. This means that Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abekasis
have an agenda of joining a Likud right-wing coalition. Under these conditions,
we must understand that a vote for Labour is a vote for a right-wing coalition.
Meretz leader, Nitzan Horowitz, has stated this. It will be a fatal blow to the
left. Labour and Likud have been in coalition numerous times since Israel's
establishment and after these elections, it may occur again.
If
Labour under Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abukasis join the Likud, it will not be
surprising. Orly Levy-Abukasis grew up in the Likud and still holds much of its
ideology. She is the perfect pathway for Labour to enter a Likud coalition after
the elections even if Netanyahu is not indicted. They have kept that option
open. If this occurs, most Labour supporters will have very red faces. After
all, the upcoming elections give the voter a chance to oppose the Likud and
company. Voting for Labour is taking a gamble and may favour Netanyahu. This
will be a happy day for Netanyahu if this happens.
As
things stand at the moment in this rather sleepy election campaign, the
left-wing is in danger of being written off as a viable legislative force in
the Knesset. Instead of forming a united front against the right-wing coalition
government, they are splintered. As mentioned earlier, Amir Peretz, with his
latest partner, Orly Levy-Abukassis of Gesher, who is apolitical on state
issues and is involved in social issues exclusively with a tendency towards her
Likud upbringing is a massive gamble that could add another nail in the coffin
of the dying Labour Party.
A vote
for the right-wing is a vote for an apartheid state as Rabbi Rafi Peretz, head
of the Jewish Home Party supports, will be part of this despicable coalition.
Not only is Rabbi Rafi Peretz, Minister of Education, the
centre of controversy over re-educating the LGBT community to be heterosexual.
He later softened his views on this issue because of the strong opposition to
his support of “conversion treatment”3 He is really an Orthodox religious
extremist and all that goes with it. This bigot must be forced to resign from
being Minister of Education. He is a racist and wishes to turn Israel into an
apartheid state by denying Palestinians in the occupied territories the right
to vote. His agenda is to declare the occupied areas as part of Israel and the
Palestinians will be denied representation. He waltzes with Kahanist fascists
of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power Party)4 to include them in an extreme, racist
right-wing Zionist religious party - Jewish Home Party and United Right
Alliance, which he heads. He will be negotiating with these Kahanists as the
heat of the upcoming elections increases. This racist demagogue is a dangerous
wolf in sheep's’ clothing. He had failed to include these Kahanists.
The cat
that has been struggling in the bag of Israel's bigoted leaders has now been
let out of the bag by Rabbi Rafi Peretz, Minister of Education, who clearly
stated his desire that the occupied territories (West Bank) will be part of
Israel and that the Palestinians living there will have no right to vote. He
admitted this in his interview when asked if this is not apartheid. Peretz
didn’t rule out the option that it is. So there you have it straight from one
of the horse's mouth. This bigot will be in charge of educating the next
generation - so it appears if the right-wing under the suspected felon Bibi
Netanyahu forms the next government after the elections. This will give those
who oppose the Israeli right-wing government justification of equating their
rule with apartheid South Africa. This will eventually extend to the rights of
non-Jewish minorities, who are Israeli citizens, being eroded and they will be
second class citizens. The handwriting is on the wall. The recently passed
Nation-State Law will assure that.
For
those, who are still thinking of supporting Labour under Amir Peretz, will also
get the right-wing extremists such as Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Transport
and maybe Otzma Yehudit, (if they pass the threshold into the Knesset) the Kahanist fascist party as part of the coalition they do
not want 5, assuming he forms a coalition with the Likud.
Perhaps
if the left of centre are prepared to drop their egos and that, of course,
includes members of the Arab Parties, then they could form a strong opposition
to Netanyahu and his right-wing shenanigans and even have a possibility of
forming a new centre-left government. The Arab Parties must drop their strong
nationalist tendencies and work with the left to form a party that represents
the interests of all Israel's citizens irrespective of race, colour or
religion. A true Jewish Arab Party coalition including, the Democratic Camp and Hadash-Ta-al. This means that a common
platform free of over-bloated egos and past individual gripes can be accepted
by all the parties concerned. If this unity of the left is not accepted the
alternative will be a fragmented left opposition. Many of these parties will not get sufficient votes to be elected to
the Knesset and the right with its religious orthodox and ultra-orthodox
parties will be the next government including Kahol-Lavan. This is the choice.
Kahol-Lavan is sitting on the fence and will sway towards the coalition that
has the best chance of forming a government. Avigdor Lieberman leader of Israel
Beiteinu will be the trump card that decides which coalition group will be
given the go-ahead by President Rubi Rivlin to form the next government.
This
week Ehud Barak (Democratic Israel), Meretz and Stav Shafir (who left the
Labor-Gesher Union) have decided to form a united list known as the Democratic
Camp. It will be left of centre 6. Tactically,
this is a good move but it might spell the end of the Arab vote
that won Meretz representation in the Knesset after April 9th Elections. It
remains to be seen if Ehud Barak, despite his apology for the loss of life of
13 Arab Israeli demonstrators in 2000 during the Um el Fahm unrest, will not
lose the Arab Israeli vote.
Surely if the new Arab Joint List (an agreement on 27th July 2019 has
been reached by Hadash-Ta-al and United Arab List. Balad will probably join at
a later stage.) would join up with the Democratic Camp, it would strengthen the
opposition to a Netanyahu led coalition. After all, their principles of
democracy, abolishing the Nation-State Law, fighting against racism and fascism
as well as equal rights for all Israel's citizens irrespective of race, colour
and religion coincide with the Democratic Camp agenda. Economic improvements
and a peace agreement with the Palestinians that will herald the end to the
occupation and a Two-State Solution is also an essential part of the new
Democratic Camp ideology. The differences between the Joint List and Democratic
Camp can be ironed out. After all, unity is the strength to get the Netanyahu led
coalition out is a goal of both party lists. Unfortunately, the Democratic Camp
and the Joint Arab List will not be running together and this weakens the
left-wing opposition to Netanyahu.
The
Arab vote must not be overlooked. Only a true Jewish-Arab Party on the left will
gain more seats than if they run on their own. This Jewish-Arab Party would be
concerned with fighting for true equality between all Israel's citizens, women
rights and freedom of pluralism that we so desperately need in this country and
of course a renewal of meaningful peace negotiations with our Palestinian
neighbours, which appears to be absent in all party platforms.
We must
also bear in mind that a vote for the Likud and its right-wing future partners
in a right-wing coalition also is a vote for including the right-wing extremist
party, Otzma Yehudit that is Kahanist racist party that was banned from
standing for election in the Knesset by previous Israeli Governments. Under
Netanyahu, this Kahanist party is gaining legitimacy in order to save Netanyahu
from standing trial for suspected crimes.
Well,
the dye is now cast and the deadline for registration of parties standing in
the elections has been decided on 1st August. The Arab Joint List has
reincarnated, the right-wing of the Likud parties have formed a unity party
leaving the Kahanist, racist extremist Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit Party
and Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut running on their own. This means that these two
right-wing racist parties may not even pass the threshold to enter the Knesset,
which will be a small blessing.
Labour-Gesher
Party will not unite with the Democratic Camp in order to keep its option open
of joining a Likud led Coalition after the elections. This is probably the
reason why Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abukasis leader of the Gesher Party have
formed a unity party. Avigdor Lieberman, the holder of the trump card in a possible coalition government of Likud-Kahol\Lavan including Israel Beitenu(Lieberman’s party). Lieberman has made it clear that he supports this move,
excluding the ultra-Orthodox and Messianic religious parties. If Netanyahu
fails to form a government, Lieberman supports the idea that another Likud
elected Knesset member will be given the chance of forming the next government
after the elections.
My
guess is that the results of the 17th Sept General Elections will not be much
different from the results of the 9th April Elections. If we follow trends of Israeli citizens' voting patterns there is a definite trend towards the right with messianic religious fundamentalism on the rise.
References:
- "Amir Peretz | The Times of Israel." https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/amir-peretz/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
- "Amir Peretz: No way to run with Ehud Barak ... - The Jerusalem Post." 22 Jul. 2019, https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Amir-Peretz-No-way-to-run-with-Ehud-Barak-Meretz-596329. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
- "Israel's education minister now says he opposes gay 'conversion ...." 16 Jul. 2019, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-s-education-minister-now-says-he-opposes-gay-conversion-therapy-1.7532713. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
- "Otzma Yehudit - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otzma_Yehudit. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
- "Otzma Yehudit breaks away from Jewish Home in spat over Knesset ...." 25 Jun. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/otzma-yehudit-breaks-away-from-jewish-home-in-spat-over-knesset-seat/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
- "Meretz, former PM Barak, Labor defector Shaffir announce joint ...." 25 Jul. 2019, https://www.timesofisrael.com/meretz-former-pm-barak-labor-defector-shaffir-announce-joint-knesset-run/. Accessed 26 Jul. 2019.
