Elections in Israel

When Ehud Barak was elected 18 months ago, we called it a “plus ca change” moment – the more things change, the more they remain the same. Still true. The truth about Israeli elections, and American elections, is that while different parties have different approaches to national issues, the fundamentals don’t change. The core of the Arab-Israel conflict [the Palestinian-Israeli conflict doesn’t exist in a vacuum] remains Arab rejection of the legitimacy of Jewish nationalism manifested in the State of Israel.

When Ehud Barak was elected 18 months ago, we called it a “plus ca change” moment – the more things change, the more they remain the same. Still true. The truth about Israeli elections, and American elections, is that while different parties have different approaches to national issues, the fundamentals don’t change. The core of the Arab-Israel conflict [the Palestinian-Israeli conflict doesn’t exist in a vacuum] remains Arab rejection of the legitimacy of Jewish nationalism manifested in the State of Israel.

While Labor and Likud governments in Israel have approached the conflict differently at different times,all mainstream Israeli parties have had as their goal inducing the Arabs to abandon their rejection of Israel. And all mainstream Israeli parties have had as their goal finding a secure modus vivendi with the closest circle of Arab neighbors. And all mainstream Israeli parties have had as their goal defending the State from both the inner and outer circles of threat. And all mainstream Israeli parties have had as their goal maintaining a democracy that ensures the rights of Arab Israeli citizens even under circumstances in which the loyalty to the State of all citizens (including Members of Knesset) cannot be taken for granted. And all mainstream Israeli parties have had as their fundamental operating principle the moral and political rightness of Jewish nationalism in the historic Jewish homeland, and the right of Jews to gather, live and pray securely at sites holy to Jews.

But Israel can’t “make peace” while its adversaries are determined to make it disappear -and make no mistake, the Palestinians are not alone in teaching their children that Israel is an abomination that must be destroyed. [Of the two countries that have peace treaties with Israel, Jordan is extremely fragile and Egypt is increasingly bellicose on the outside and tyrannical on the inside.] Yet, even with the current Palestinian war against Israel -and make no mistake, it is a shooting war against the Jews – we feel confident that any day the Arabs truly decide that Jewish nationalism is as legitimate as Arab nationalism there will be peace.Any day the Arabs decide that Hebron and the Temple Mount are part of Jewish as well as Moslem patrimony there will be peace. And most importantly, any day the Arabs decide that democracy will better fulfill the needs of their people than dictatorship and tyranny there will be peace.

Under any Israeli government. Plus c’est le meme chose.