Over the years the Israeli “left” felt the need to prove its militant credentials. It essentially became right-lite. The argument for such a move is that to win elections, one needs to appeal to a broader audience (the same argument Democrats in the US always give for their rightward move). In my view, this is a huge mistake – why would people vote for the lite version, if they can vote for the real thing? Yitzhak Laor discusses the logical conclusion of this approach, as played out in the recent elections:
All these operations and wars, with the killing of civilians, were meant to prove to the public that “the moderates” also know how to “stick it to them.” Since then, the right has been assigned the task of inciting war and reaping the benefits of the air and artillery strikes on civilians. As a result of all this bloodletting the “national camp” has emerged more powerful, to the point of the disappearance of the Zionist left.
Tags: Israeli Politics