5759 A Last Chance for Peace Ami Isseroff Few Israeli elections have generated so many candidates and so much voter apathy. All candidates are in a rush to convince us that they are really Centrists - and that it is the other fellows who are extremists. This creates the illusion among many, especially in the peace camp, that there are no real differences among the candidates, and no compelling reason to vote. The apathy is not aided by the disintegration of the traditional political parties, motivated by personal ambition thinly disguised as 'ideology' and 'integrity.' It is difficult to understand what Amnon Lipkin Shahak, Likud 'prince' Dan Meridor, and (possibly) Laborite Nissim Zvilli have in common ideologically, or why right wing Jerusalem mayor Ehud Ohlmert would volunteer to support dovish Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordehai, except that they are all looking for employment. Voters will be forgiven for skepticism. Paradoxically, few elections have been so crucial for the future of Israel, and few governments have been as bad for Israel as the current one and as urgently in need of replacement. The focus of the media is on Bibi - Bibi is untruthful, Bibi is slick, Bibi is this and Bibi is that. But the problem is not really Bibi, but the people he represents. The biggest complaint of the right against Bibi is that they finally discovered what we all knew - that he is a liar. Though he had promised to sabotage the peace process and keep all of the territories, in the end he succumbed to the dictates of reality and sanity. But he could not continue this policy because his political support base was vanishing. Personally, I would rather have a dishonest fellow like Bibi in office then an honest one like Benjamin Begin. A labor government under Barak may not give us everything we want. But it will take power away from the settler lobby and the religious right wing, and give some power to the left and peace camp. Barak will be better because the people who support him - however reluctantly - are better. Bibi did not disappoint me at all. In fact, he did about what I expected. He has:
It is not only the very visible things that count, but also those that are less noticed and less in the news. In ten or fifteen years we will be painfully conscious of the effects of lack of investment in education and scientific research today, and also of the 'fruits' of filling the education system with right wing orthodox administrators, and of neglecting the needs of our Arab citizens. There are those who will be tempted to vote for the centrist party, attracted either by Roni Milo's outspoken stand for religious freedom, or the good looks of Amnon Lipkin-Shahak (is there another reason to vote for him?). Shahak and Meridor look better then Barak on television, and they are not 'leftists,' if that is what is worrying you. But the centrist party is a collection of recycled Likud wolves in sheep's clothing. Like the Dash party in 1977, they will easily support a Likud Coalition, as did the 'Third Way.' The danger is us - not the other side. We can count on the religious people to vote faithfully, 101% at least, for candidates of the right and whomever their Rabbi dictates. We can count on the settlers to vote for the right wing parties. We can count on the Rabbis to give out amulets. We cannot, however, count on ourselves -all the people in the peace camp, which really includes over 60% of the Israeli population according to the polls. All those who explain why they cannot vote for Barak because he is not a 'real' leftist, or why it is unimportant to vote, why they will vote for Shahak because he has a better chance of winning, why it is ideologically more important to go on a picnic on election day (family values) or why they cannot vote for Barak, may be very unhappy on the day after the elections. But it may be too late then. This election may be the last chance for peace. So please - "All we are saying, is give peace a chance."
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