The drama in the wake of MK Ofer Shelah's decision to run against Yair Lapid for leadership of Yesh Atid is reverberating far beyond the party. An entire political camp, which last won a national election 14 years ago, is closely watching the moves taking place before their eyes. All are wondering whether the surprising development could spark a chain reaction that rearranges the balance of power on the Left.
Up until two decades ago, right-wing party leaders knew the only path to power was to siphon votes from the moderate left by blurring "right-wing" identity and "centering" certain positions. "Only Sharon can bring peace," promised the Likud campaign in 2003; "Making a secure peace," claimed Likud propaganda from 1996. Parties that leaned further right, such as Mafdal, Moledet, Tehiya and Tzomet, benefited the Likud by being viewed as more extreme and contributed to its image as a moderate party capable of governing the nation.
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Following the Second Lebanon War and Operation Protective Edge, everything changed. The right no longer apologized for being right, while left-wing parties began pretending as if they were center. From their inception, Yesh Atid, Hatnuah, Blue and White, never dared label themselves left-wing parties. Lapid would protest any time someone said his party was part of the left-wing bloc, arguing that Yesh Atid is a centrist party. Even Labor and its revolving door of leaders pushed the diplomatic issue to the bottom of its agenda to avoid the left-wing moniker.
The Likud's enemies failed
The goal of the "centrist parties" was obvious. When the national agenda isn't diplomatic or defense-related, the Likud has far less merchandise to sell. And the left's ability to ascend to power rises accordingly.
But these schemes failed. All of them. The centrist parties didn't deliver the goods and Netanyahu remained in power. In recent weeks and months, this trend has started to reverse. The left isn't ashamed of being left, taking more pride in itself and declaring its positions openly.
Ofer Shelah was always there. He never felt comfortable with Lapid's "centrist" costume. He voiced his opinion even when it wasn't popular; even when it contradicted the talking points dictated by Lapid's advisers. When the party chairman shifted uneasily in his seat as reporters asked about the two-state solution, sovereignty in the Jordan Valley, and freezing construction in the settlements, it was Shelah who would provide a clear, sharp answer on these matters.
His current position will allow him to easily become the leader of the Left if he manages to beat Lapid in the Yesh Atid primaries. Even if he loses, however, and particularly if Lapid refuses to hold a primary, it appears the door will be held wide open for him by parties such as Meretz and Labor, which will be happy to give him the mantle and breathe new life into the dying camp.
A joint election campaign with Lapid as leader of Yesh Atid and Shelah as leader of the remaining left-wing parties will make Blue and White completely extraneous and could wipe it off the map entirely. Shelah's announcement last week, therefore, has made Benny Gantz, Gabi Ashkenazi and the rest of their party mates more than a little anxious.
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