Israel Palestine Infos
Uri Avnery
January 14, 2012
The Shining Torch
“SHINING TORCH” sounds
like the name of a Red Indian (or should I say Native American?) chief. In
Hebrew, it is the literal meaning of the name of our latest political sensation:
Ya’ir Lapid.
This week, he announced
his intention to enter politics and set up a new political party.
Hardly a surprise. For
many months now, speculation has been rife. Lapid has hinted more than once
about his intention, giving the impression that he would act on it only close to
election time. That was clever, since he was the most popular news anchorman on
the most popular TV channel. Why give up a post that gives you unique public
exposure (and pays a handsome salary to boot)?
Now he has been told by
his employers, probably under political pressure, to choose: either/or - TV or
politics.
Some 2061 years ago,
Julius Caesar crossed the little river Rubicon to march on
A day later, another
well-known personality, Noam Shalit, threw a second die. The father of Gilad,
the captured soldier who was exchanged for 1027 Palestinian prisoners, has
announced that he will run for the Knesset on the Labor party list. After five
years leading the immensely popular campaign for his son’s release, he has
decided to put to political use his rise from anonymity to celebrity status.
A whole series of exes –
ex-generals, ex-Mossad chiefs, ex-CEOs – are waiting for their turn.
What does that mean? It
means that the smell of elections is in the air, though elections are officially
due only a year and a half from now, and there are no signs that Binyamin
Netanyahu and his far-right partners intend to bring them forward.
THE ATTRACTION of a
Knesset seat is hard to explain. Most Israelis despise the Knesset, but almost
everyone would sell their grandmother to become a member.
(A Jewish joke tells
about a stranger who comes to the shtetl and asks for directions to the home of
the synagogue manager. “What, that scoundrel?” exclaims one of the passers-by.
“That bastard”. “that son of a bitch”, “that miser,” respond others. When he
finally meets the man and asks why he clings to the office, he answers: “Because
of the honor!”)
But that’s beside the
point. The question is: why do so many people believe that a new party has a
good chance to win seats? Why does Ya’ir Lapid believe that a new party, headed
by him, will become a major faction in the Knesset and perhaps even propel him
into the Prime Minister’s office?
There now exists a gaping
black hole in the Israeli political system, a hole so huge that nobody could
fail to notice it.
On the right is the
present government coalition, consisting of the Likud, the Lieberman party and
various ultra-nationalist, pro-settlement and religious factions.
What is there on the Left
and in the Center? Well, next to nothing.
The main opposition
party, Kadima, is in a shambles. It has failed miserably to establish a role for
itself. Tzipi Livni is incompetent, and it seems that the only merit of her
party rival, a former army Chief of Staff, is his Oriental origin. (He was born
in
Labor, which seemed to
rise when Shelly Yachimovich was elected chairwoman, has slid back in the polls
to where it was before. Nor has the stock of Meretz gone up. The same goes for
the communist and the
Arab factions who
vegetate on the fringes of the system, if not outside. All of them together
could not unseat the Right.
The gap is glaring. It
cries out for a new force that can fill the void. No wonder that the various
messiahs in waiting hear an inner voice telling them that their time has come.
The trouble is that none
of these pretenders comes with a message. They appear on the scene with a
cookbook mentality: Take a few popular phrases, add 3 celebrities, 2 generals, 4
women, 1 Russian, and with the help of a clever PR expert and two “strategic
advisers” you are on your way.
For Lapid, the three
popular phrases are now: take money from the irresponsible tycoons (Who are
they? Are there also responsible tycoons?), take money from bloated government
departments (which ones? Do they include the Ministry of Defense?), take money
from distant settlements (How distant? What about all the other settlements?)
There seems to be no one
around who comes with a deeply held conviction, a message that “burns in his
bones”, as you say in Hebrew. Shelly of Labor has a serious social message, but
refuses adamantly to speak about anything else, especially about such unsavory
subjects as peace and the occupation. Kadima is wish-washy about everything. And
Lapid?
AH, WELL – that depends
on the polls. Lapid is a prolific writer with many books to his credit and a
weekly column in the mass circulation Yediot Aharonot. But even with a
microscope one cannot detect the trace of a serious answer to any of the
country’s burning national or social questions.
That may be clever. If
you say something that is outside the consensus, you create enemies. The less
you say, the less trouble. That is a basic political truism. But not the stuff
great leaders are made of.
It has often been said of
Lapid that he is the man every Jewish mother dreams of as her son-in-law. He is
tall, very handsome, looks much younger that his 49 years, and has a movie-star
quality. He also had a famous father.
“Tommy” Lapid was a
Holocaust survivor. He was born in the Hungarian-speaking enclave of the former
Lapid Sr. had a split
personality: in personal relations he was easy-going, even charming. His public
persona was pugnacious and abrasive.
So was his political
message. He was famous for the intensity of his hatred of the orthodox Jews. He
was also a rabid ultra-nationalist, who even defended Slobodan Milosevic. But in
domestic affairs he was a true liberal.
Almost by accident he
became the leader of a moribund party and led it to an astounding election
triumph, amassing 15 Knesset seats and becoming a good Justice Minister. The
party then shrank again as rapidly as it had
grown.
All this tells us little
about Lapid Jr. What kind of political program will he represent, once he is
compelled to provide answers? Contrary to his father’s aggressiveness, he
preaches conciliation, togetherness, moderation. He positions himself in the
exact center and clings to the widest possible consensus.
His chances seem to be excellent.
However, from now until
the elections – whenever they are held – can be a very long time. Israel is a
cruel country, popularity can fade quickly. The first political test of Lapid
will be whether he can keep the public's interest for long without his TV
pulpit.
I believe that his
entrance into the political scene is a good thing. Our political system is in
dire need of new blood. And I can hardly line up with those who say that
journalists should not enter politics.
WHAT ARE his chances?
Impossible to foretell. It will depend on many factors: when will the elections
be held, what happens before then, will there be a war? (Lapid was not a combat
soldier, a serious flaw in the eyes of many Israelis.) And first of all: who
else will join the fray in the meantime?
I fervently hope that a
different kind of new political force will emerge – a center-left party with a
clear and inclusive message: social reform, narrowing the gap between rich and
poor, the two-state solution, peace with the Palestinians and the end of the
occupation, equality between all citizens (irrespective of gender, race, ethnic
origin and beliefs, total separation between state and religion, human
rights safeguarded by strong and independent courts - all this enshrined
in an iron-clad written constitution.
For this you need leaders
with strong backbones, ready to fight for their convictions.
Perhaps Lapid will, in
the end, fit this bill, at least partly. Perhaps he will also attract votes from
Likud members who are disgusted by the neo-fascist turn some of the Likud
leaders have taken – enough votes to upset the balance in the Knesset and put an
end to the ultra-rightist frenzy.
The next few months will tell whether the Shining Torch will continue to shine – and on what exactly.