Israeli Elections

Rabbi Melanie Aron

February 2, 2001

Elections are different in Israel.

For starters, as you know, the President is a figurehead, elected by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and so the election to keep your eyes on is that of the Prime Minister.

Secondly, the Prime Minister is not elected for a fixed term. The current Israeli system is a hybrid. Up until 1996 the head of the party with the greatest number of seats in the Knesset had the opportunity to put together a governing majority and become Prime Minister. In 1996 in an attempt to lessen the power of the smaller parties, Israel moved to the direct election of the Prime Minister. However the parliamentary system remains, and the term of the directly elected Prime Minister can be ended by a vote of no-confidence in the Knesset.

Events this fall actually illustrated all the complicated ins and outs of this new system. By resigning before an imminent vote of no- confidence Barak was able to run in new elections, without disbanding the Knesset. This meant that only those who were at present members of the Knesset could run, preventing him from having to face off against Benjamin Netanyahu in a reprise of the elections of two years ago.

Israeli elections are also different in their campaign flavor. Israel is a much smaller and more connected country with a stronger tradition of party affiliation and a much higher rate of voter participation. In Israel there are no absentee ballots, except for military and consular personal. Everyone else has to return to Israel for their vote to be counted. Consultants have not taken over in Israel in the same way, though they were very present in the last Barak/Netanyahu round. Campaign advertising is limited by government regulations and comes on all in a block at a set time each evening. The current elections have been notable in the refusal of one candidate, Ariel Sharon, to debate his opponent, or even appear with him in any context. A typical ploy of the front runner, it has also lead to a greater than usual focus on personality and history, rather than on platform and programs.

Though different in many way, this current Israeli election does have some points of similarity with our last American election.

For starters there is discussion among a sizeable number of voters, disenchanted with the two main party candidates, about voting outside the system, in this case by handing in blank ballots. This is viewed by the Labor Party much as votes for Nader were viewed by the Democrats this past fall, as handing the fox the keys to the henhouse. If you care for the environment so much that you can't bring yourself to vote for Gore because of the compromises of the Clinton administration, the Democrats argued this fall, then why would you vote for Nader handing the election to Bush and putting Gail Norton in charge of our environment. Similarly, Labor supporters insist, if you are so pro-peace that you can't bring yourself to vote for Barak because of his refusal to dismantle the settlements and your perception that he has used excessive force in dealing with the intifada, then why would you turn in a blank ballot and hand the government over to Sharon, whose coalition partner Leiberman talks about bombing Cairo and Teheran in response to Palestinian intransigence? At a recent Labor Rally, Shimon Peres urged voters not to turn in a blank ballot: "If we refrain from voting, if we let disappointment and protest speak, we will miss the chance for peace."

There are no swing states to woo in Israel, but there are swing voters, in this case identified as the Russian immigrants who are being pursued very actively. Here too, we can perhaps see some parallels. Just as George W Bush spoke Spanish while others argued that the interests of immigrants were better protected by Al Gore, Arik Sharon, though a Sabra, speaks some Russian because of his Russian born parents, while others might say that Barak more represents the interests the immigrants have in social services and independence from the religious parties.

Arik Sharon, like Bush during the campaign, has stressed the softer side of his personality. Some of his more radical right wing friends have been removed from sight, and he is attempting to come across as, shall we say, a compassionate hawk. Barak, like Gore, faces some people who hate him with a passion and see him as a traitor of traitors, much as some on the right hated Clinton in a sort of visceral way.

Unlike our election in the United States this fall however, the polls are not close. At present Sharon is many points ahead. Could much change- perhaps? There may be those who have been so distressed by events of the past four months, so disheartened by the failure of the peace process and the rising terrorism in Israel, so disappointed in Barak's zigzagging over the past six months, that they talk about voting for Sharon. However, Sharon in some ways is the Barry Goldwater of Israeli politics, and when push comes to shove the Israeli public may not really want his hand on the button.

It is also possible, though I would have to admit that this is a very optimistic interpretation, that Sharon, who was after all in charge of the evacuations of the Sinai, would be able to convince the settlers of some of the most problematic settlements to leave, not so much for peace, as for the consolidation of Israeli land holdings. There is also hope that the national unity government he is talking about creating, would reign in his more adventurous tendencies, though at present Barak is insisting that he would not join a government with Sharon, and that those who think they can vote for Sharon and get a moderate government are fooling themselves. Those who belief that it was Israel's willingness to withdraw from Lebanon that gave the Palestinians the incentive to rebel this fall, believe that Sharon's iron hand will lead to less violence, rather than more.

This evening, following the oneg, we will be returning to the sanctuary for Israeli dancing. I hope some of you will also return and visit our election center. I have collected some articles on the election and then have placed ballots and a ballot box on the table. Please take a moment to consider what you would do if you were an Israeli citizen able to vote in the upcoming election. Would you vote for Barak or Sharon, or place a blank ballot in the ballot box?