Israel is undergoing the gravest political crisis in its history. The last two years have seen a never-ending election campaign that stems from the preoccupation with the political and legal fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose involvement in corruption cases has led to prolonged public protests and the creation of new political entities.
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But something is not working. Dialogue is essential, but it will always lack meaning if millions of Palestinians live under military rule; if hundreds of Israelis cannot get married in Israel, and if secular Israelis do not have access to public transportation on weekends and holidays.
There's meaning to taking a stance in the era of fake news, too. Israeli needs the Left. When I meet with the heads of ultra-Orthodox yeshivas, they scowl at the word "Left." For them, leftists are those who betray the public, who love Arabs more than Jews, who hate Judaism and whose values differ from their traditional views of family and community, and who would do anything just to oust Netanyahu.
But the Left embodies a holistic worldview, one that values mutual solidarity and takes human dignity seriously.
The Left values the economy. It does not seek to abolish the free market. Just the opposite, it supports small businesses and entrepreneurship.
The Left values peace. The use of force should be a last resort. Morality is important not only in treating others but also in understanding what the prolonged use of excessive force does to all of us, especially our youth.
The Left values civil liberties. It understands that there is room for diversity: that there is a place for an ultra-Orthodox community, but not at the expense of a secular one; that the government should also represent LGBTQ communities, abused women, and people with disabilities.
Israel's Left is plagued by a political crisis. Throughout history, it rejected entire sectors of Israeli society, Mizrahis, Arabs, Haredim. The Left created economic, political, and civic solutions for only a few. This Left departed from the government in 1977, when the Likud won the elections, ending almost 30 years of left-wing rule. But the Left has not lost hope.
The Left returned to power in the 1990s, with a strong and attractive proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its emphasis on security and partnership with the religious sector, with the political and religious legitimization, resulted in the 1993 Oslo Accords. The peace camp set the political tone until Netanyahu came to power in 2009. But the popular peace camp suffered a fatal blow during the Second Intifada and became a faction of civil society and Western diplomacy. The two-state solution still exists as a model for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it no longer attracts the same public and political attention. The status quo that Netanyahu created is the clear winner.
What remains is very little political power. Some fragments of political parties tout "progressive" agendas by claiming to have a strong secular platform, environmental ideas, a slight focus on human rights, and "Anything but Bibi" aspirations.
The Left has been systematically trampled on and delegitimized. It has become Center-Left, but just like in the good old days, it still fails to cooperate with Mizrahis, Arabs, and the Haredim.
All Israeli prime ministers were affiliated with the Labor movement until 1977. The collapse of the Labor party is further proof that even such historical organizations can crumble if they lack direction and meaning.
The Right is winning because it has a clear and concise narrative. It focuses on power. The Right wants to exercise Jewish supremacy "from the river to the sea' by using military and economic power. The Right also manages to forge a political alliance with the ultra-Orthodox parties, giving them free rein when it comes to civic arrangements in religious areas.
The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv conducted a survey that shows that more than 50% of Jews in Israel define themselves as rightists and only 13% say they are leftists. In 2020, it is convenient for most Israeli Jews to belong to the right-wing camp.
Polls report that the "Anything but Bibi" narrative actually bolsters the Right. There's a chance that those who challenge Netanyahu – Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, New Hope chief Gideon Sa'ar, Yisrael Beytenu chief Avigdor Lieberman, and Telem's Moshe Ya'alon – will succeed in replacing him, but it is also possible that they will help the Likud to take complete control of the government.
The only way for the Left to become relevant again is to create a new narrative, one based on values of fairness and solidarity. It must be an expression of connection between us all, with economic and educational derivatives. The success of any company is measured by the degree of trust between its members. This is the secret of the Scandinavian societies, which are at the pinnacle of happiness and wealth. They should be our compass.
The new narrative also needs to be financially sharp. The coronavirus could have been the Left's opportunity to retake center stage.
The new narrative must address issues of defense and security. To be safe in the Middle East, we need to bring the vision of the Declaration of Independence into reality and reach out to our Arab neighbors. We need to find a suitable solution for the Palestinian people, with whom we share a common homeland. We need to use our natural resources to create a sustainable future rather than a quick profit for private shareholders.
Such a change does not happen on paper. Four things need to change: we need a new and much more diverse leadership; we need to change the language in a way that emphasizes the patriotic connection to Israeli society as a whole and the link to deep cultural and religious traditions; we need to change the content, to promote concrete proposals; we need to change the actions, to focus on the social and geographical peripheries in a reliable, ongoing and trustworthy field activity.
To imagine the future, the Left needs to establish a new political camp. One that Israel has never seen before. There are no shortcuts. Without this vision, without this narrative, and without this footwork, the Left will continue to fail in its search for meaning.
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