A Different look at Israel's election

By TAMAR BOUSSI

article created on: 2009-02-15T00:00:00

As I arrived in Kfar Saba on Election Day via the No. 29 bus I was sure I remembered precisely where my polling place was located.  

It soon became obvious that I did not remember where my polling place was. I walked around in the rain for 40 minutes, which gave me time to think about the voting process.  Since I have spent most of my time here asking other people what they think—cab drivers, bus riders, shopping mall visitors, coffee shop habitués, people on the street, as well as mayors, radio talk show hosts and many others—I hadn’t taken time to think myself.  
Why was I nervous about voting for the party whose platform I most agreed with?  Why would I end up voting for a party I felt was not really what I wanted, but seemed “safe?”  When I finally arrived at my polling station and was waiting in line to vote, it suddenly dawned on me.  As an avid television news watcher and newspaper reader, I was more influenced by the media than my own good sense.  

I also realized another connection between the United States and Israel, both countries have a media that gives us not the news but the opinions of those purporting to give the news.  This is of particular importance as we have begun to see a growing number of news stories stating that American Jewish organizations are not happy with the results of the election and want to pressure the contenders who are working to form a government to not follow the will of the voters in Israel.

This could have a negative effect on the relationship between the American and Israeli Jewish communities.

It is worthwhile to take a minute to think about this.  Do we really know what each party stands for?  

Here is a test you can take. Read the following list of party platform planks.  To which of the three parties about whom the media consistently reported on, does each plank belong?  The three parties, as identified in the media are Labor (left) Ehud Barak, Kadima (centrist) Tzipi Livni and Likud (right) Benjamin Netanyahu.  Since a fourth party became a serious choice after the election, I will include it here: Yisrael Beitanu (far right) Avigdor Lieberman.

· No negotiations with Terrorists
· Overthrow Hamas
· Citizenship should be linked to loyalty to the state and its principles
· Legal residents who have served in the IDF or done National Service will get preferential treatment when applying to universities, receiving public service benefits and allocation of state owned land grants.
· A coalition should be formed to change the system of government to a more workable system, perhaps modeled after the American system.
· A bill will be presented to allow civil unions as well as religious marriage.
· A special Cabinet level position should be created to encourage aliyah and integration of new immigrants from Europe and the United States due to sharp rise in anti-Semitism.
· Remove restrictions on the importation and sale of pork products.
· Loosen Sabbath restrictions on commerce.

Which plank would you suspect belongs to which party’s platform. Read the answers below and send your comments to me, if you have already studied all four platforms, you know the answers, if not how well did you guess?

Quiz answer

All of the planks are in the platform of the Yisrael Beitanu.  How would you rate this party.  Left—Right or Center?  Maybe a little bit of each, or a lot of one and a little of another.  Can you define a political party simply by labeling it Left, right or center or far right or far left.  What do these labels mean?  Just food for thought for the next election cycle.  I would like to receive your thoughts if you are so inclined.