Why is Nora voting Labor? Real choices in this election

A few days ago I was talking to a friend of mine from ulpan about the elections. When I told her how I was voting, her earnest reply was, "But why not Bennett?" Bennett, is of course Naftali Bennett, the (apparently) unthreatening face of the National Religious Right. His Habayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home) party has taken this election season by surprise by nabbing votes of disillusioned Likud supporters and moderate youth alike.

A cursory look at the party list shows, for the most part, a compilation of settler rabbis and settler leaders who have vehemently opposed classic threats to the Jewish state such as gay soldiers serving in the IDF (and rights for gay people in general), the Knesset committee for the status of women, and human rights groups. All are DTATWB (down to annex the West Bank). So how has the party earned a reputation for being centrist?

Bennett, whose name in the news is often accompanied by the epithet "charismatic," boasts Californian parentage, sports a clean-shaven face and what some have described as "a very small kippah." He made this innocuous ad targeting English-speaking olim:



In short, he seems relatable. But the fact is that Bennett wants to annex the 60% of the West Bank known as Area C (his plan is to build bridges between Palestinian areas so that Jews don't have to encounter checkpoints) and "believes that, ultimately, the world is busy with the economic collapse of Greece, the United States' fiscal cliff and the slaughter in Syria, and thus it is possible to bring the world to come to terms now with facts on the ground and firm Israeli decisions." (http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/the-success-of-naftali-bennett-is-the-failure-of-the-israeli-center-left.premium-1.490536). His wanton disdain for a sustainable relationship between Israel and Palestine, and cavalier dismissal of the international community should terrify anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish state.

In my encounters with Israelis and other olim, I have, to my surprise and dismay, met many who are deliberating between voting Habayit Hayehudi and Labor. But while Bennett's party represents extreme right views on social and diplomatic issues, Labor's list is one of people who are speaking out against the racism, sexism, and homophobia that are the trademarks of the religious right, and in favor of social and economic equality, and a sustainable, secure relationship with the Palestinians.

-Nora, an olah from the United States

Why is Shawn voting Labor?

      I was recently sitting in a restaurant with my grandfather discussing the thing we really never should, but always do: politics in Israel. The topic, the same one for the past year, is the merits of the Avodah Party versus Meretz (I’m a firm Avodah supporter in the Shelley era, he a Meretz supporter since it was established). This conversation centered on peace and security with the Palestinians and Avodah’s relative silence on the Conflict. For the first time in years, this match went to me. How, you ask? Well…

      A treaty with the Palestinians is in the long-term interest of Israel and the Palestinians from all angles. I believe that this is achievable if one of three things happens: a catastrophic event between Israel and the Palestinians; the presence of a leader who has the clout to strong-arm a treaty into happening (e.g. Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon); or at the behest of an Israeli public who insists on it. I’ll ignore the first option; after all, it is important to maintain one’s optimism when living here. Ironically, Bibi is the only leader who has the ability and political capital to push a treaty through. However, he has made it perfectly clear that he does not intend to do so. So the responsibility for making peace happen now firmly rests with the Israeli public.

      There is a plethora of polling data which states Israelis are in support of a peace treaty to create a Palestinian state along ‘67 borders with land swaps to deal with the “grey areas.” Yet seeing as how politicians are answerable to the people and since I do not see the vast majority of people in the streets calling for peace or many politicians placing it front-and-center, something seems to be amiss. So what’s happening here? A treaty with the Palestinians will require a lot of sacrifice and compromise on our part. It will impact borders, the economy, and water, cost a fortune to carry out and create huge social rifts within the society. This is in addition to placing a huge amount of trust in the Palestinians to curtail terrorism and extremism in order to maintain the peace. The Israeli public is not capable of doing this at the present time. This is evident by looking at the way we treat each other within Israeli proper. There is rampant racism, prejudice, discrimination and oppression. And here I’m only speaking about the Jewish population. If we can’t look at each other in an accepting, trusting and respectful manner, how can we expect to do it with our enemy?

      What I see in Avodah is a political party that is focused on tackling how Israelis relate to each other; who are actively working to repair the rifts within Israeli society and change its direction. The only way that the Israeli public will actively push forward peace is if we return to the values of equality and respect that this country was founded on and are laid out in the Declaration of Independence. I support Avodah because I believe they are the only ones capable of doing this and are actively doing so by shifting the conversation towards the issues that will effect this: the economy, education, health care, social infrastructure and the social safety net. Unfortunately, this means that peace and security won’t arrive tomorrow, but if we can change the situation it will once again be on the horizon.

 -Shawn, an oleh from Canada

Ghouls

Bennet: Parties must pledge not to evacuate Jews

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=298642

Naftali Bennet, whose Bayit Hayehudi party is polling at Labor's heels with around thirteen seats, said on Sunday that he wants all political parties to sign a pledge never to evict Jews from the occupied Palestinian territories.

"'My position is that there will not ever be a Palestinian state between the Jordan and the [Mediterranean] Sea,' Bennet added."

 If Netanyahu is the next prime minister, he will need Bennet in his coalition, and will have to keep him pleased. This possibility should terrify anyone who believes in the right to Palestinian national self-governance and anyone who believes that the Jewish state must not be concerned with the welfare of Jews only.

-Dafna