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What Next for Israel?
Louise Strait and Alison Wakelin
April 25, 2015
Most of us probably have a mental image of Isaac Herzog sitting at home in a gentlemanly fashion preparing to lead an intelligent and somewhat more polite than usual opposition in the coming Knesset. This is not what Israelis want to see in a leader who can take on the dangers surrounding their country. After all, if he can’t even defeat the highly unpopular Benjamin Netanyahu, how can he possibly be expected to deal with leaders of the Islamic State and Iran, who are a real threat? Israel does not want to be led by a gentleman at this time.
However, all this is predicated on the great single leader model of decision making and government, which obscures the very real strength and depth of the Zionist Union. A chief reason these qualities were ignored by the populace in the last election is that most of the leadership depth within the Zionist Union are women. Yet, they could provide the right combination of leaders to support Herzog’s style. And it could be exactly the type of leadership that a large number of Israelis want to try, given the disastrous escalation of armed standoffs in the region and the ever- greater disaffection of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank under Netanyahu’s leadership.
Few people would want Moshe Kahlon to be in charge of everything, but he has found himself in the position of kingmaker. As he is very much aware of past betrayals by Netanyahu, he is seeking to make every agreement watertight before he signs on the dotted line. We can fantasize that Herzog might make a backchannel agreement with Kahlon and that Kahlon will reject Likud’s proposals at the last minute.
Whether this fantasy can take root, or more likely Herzog ends up leading the opposition, the strength of the Zionist Union lies in the leaders right behind Herzog, at Positions Two, Three, and Four on the ZU list. Tzipi Livni, Shelly Yachimovich and Stav Shafir are three very strong women who are not afraid to make their opinions heard and are highly capable of taking on Netanyahu directly. Here is a perfect set-up for them to vigorously prepare the public for the disaster that is to come if and when the right wing takes over—and even Netanyahu knows that things will not go smoothly.
Even for such a Kahlon-Herzog coup to work, however, these women need to play their role, because it has to be seen as a coup coming from a place of strength and a genuine commitment to work for something better and more stable. At the same time, Israel must be shown clearly what will happen if the international community intervenes due to Netanyahu’s stance toward the peace process and his now clearly stated policy of “no two states on his watch.”
Tzipi Livni needs to make very clear to the Israeli public the consequences of having a bad relationship with the United States just when Europe is stepping up its efforts to make it harder for Israeli businesses to conduct successful operations in the occupied territories. She better than anyone can talk about the importance of ending the Palestinian occupation and the devastating result of continuing settlement expansion.
Shelly Yachimovich has already proven her mettle as former head of the Labor Party and can be counted on to uphold the rights of the working middle class, especially women. Stav Shafir, who electrified the nation during the 2011 social protests, will speak eloquently and passionately about the high cost of living and deteriorating social conditions that will only worsen under an extreme right-wing government. Additionally, we hope that she will continue to be a watchdog over budgetary transfers to illegal West Bank settlements.
The future offers a choice: between government by the strong leader who seeks to vanquish all Israel's foes by might and internal control, and a government much closer to the people. The former will not last, inevitably ending sooner or later in cries of betrayal and disunity. However, the latter cannot come into existence unless it is genuine, and the opportunity for it can most expeditiously be achieved by the careful, concerted effort of Israeli politicians, today especially women, who value democratic ideals.
April 25, 2015
Most of us probably have a mental image of Isaac Herzog sitting at home in a gentlemanly fashion preparing to lead an intelligent and somewhat more polite than usual opposition in the coming Knesset. This is not what Israelis want to see in a leader who can take on the dangers surrounding their country. After all, if he can’t even defeat the highly unpopular Benjamin Netanyahu, how can he possibly be expected to deal with leaders of the Islamic State and Iran, who are a real threat? Israel does not want to be led by a gentleman at this time.
However, all this is predicated on the great single leader model of decision making and government, which obscures the very real strength and depth of the Zionist Union. A chief reason these qualities were ignored by the populace in the last election is that most of the leadership depth within the Zionist Union are women. Yet, they could provide the right combination of leaders to support Herzog’s style. And it could be exactly the type of leadership that a large number of Israelis want to try, given the disastrous escalation of armed standoffs in the region and the ever- greater disaffection of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank under Netanyahu’s leadership.
Few people would want Moshe Kahlon to be in charge of everything, but he has found himself in the position of kingmaker. As he is very much aware of past betrayals by Netanyahu, he is seeking to make every agreement watertight before he signs on the dotted line. We can fantasize that Herzog might make a backchannel agreement with Kahlon and that Kahlon will reject Likud’s proposals at the last minute.
Whether this fantasy can take root, or more likely Herzog ends up leading the opposition, the strength of the Zionist Union lies in the leaders right behind Herzog, at Positions Two, Three, and Four on the ZU list. Tzipi Livni, Shelly Yachimovich and Stav Shafir are three very strong women who are not afraid to make their opinions heard and are highly capable of taking on Netanyahu directly. Here is a perfect set-up for them to vigorously prepare the public for the disaster that is to come if and when the right wing takes over—and even Netanyahu knows that things will not go smoothly.
Even for such a Kahlon-Herzog coup to work, however, these women need to play their role, because it has to be seen as a coup coming from a place of strength and a genuine commitment to work for something better and more stable. At the same time, Israel must be shown clearly what will happen if the international community intervenes due to Netanyahu’s stance toward the peace process and his now clearly stated policy of “no two states on his watch.”
Tzipi Livni needs to make very clear to the Israeli public the consequences of having a bad relationship with the United States just when Europe is stepping up its efforts to make it harder for Israeli businesses to conduct successful operations in the occupied territories. She better than anyone can talk about the importance of ending the Palestinian occupation and the devastating result of continuing settlement expansion.
Shelly Yachimovich has already proven her mettle as former head of the Labor Party and can be counted on to uphold the rights of the working middle class, especially women. Stav Shafir, who electrified the nation during the 2011 social protests, will speak eloquently and passionately about the high cost of living and deteriorating social conditions that will only worsen under an extreme right-wing government. Additionally, we hope that she will continue to be a watchdog over budgetary transfers to illegal West Bank settlements.
The future offers a choice: between government by the strong leader who seeks to vanquish all Israel's foes by might and internal control, and a government much closer to the people. The former will not last, inevitably ending sooner or later in cries of betrayal and disunity. However, the latter cannot come into existence unless it is genuine, and the opportunity for it can most expeditiously be achieved by the careful, concerted effort of Israeli politicians, today especially women, who value democratic ideals.