Jacob’s Leader*

Israel recently held an election for the post of Prime Minister. From this Middle Eastern outpost of democracy, it would have been ideal if a population fed up with war had resoundingly opted for a pacifist government; one that had the guts to avoid violence as a deterrent; one that recognised a certain popularly elected neighbour as a valid negotiating partner. Granted, this particular neighbour acts as a petulant child that frequently shoots wayward missiles but I think the mutual apportioning of blame no longer follows any logic.

Likud, a rightist party led by Binyamin Netanyahu, has been selected by the President, Shimon Peres, to form the next government. The moderates of Israel and the world are incensed over the fact that Netanyahu is on the verge of forming a coalition with Avigdor Liberman, an extreme-right politician who ran an anti-Arab campaign. The strides made by these parties were attributed to the much maligned politics of fear. It is  incredible that when the Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas over Fatah for that very same reason, a blockade was clamped on them. Being a somewhat sane person, I do not support Hamas’ suicide tactics but the double standards are just too stark to be glossed over. The current fear is that a two-state solution could ironically become just that – binary. Arabs would either have to assimilate in a Jewish nation or leave Palestine en masse. One state for two peoples, or zero states for one of them. Personal safety would be a thoroughly moot point if this does transpire.

I have a theory…or rather, a fervent hope. What if Netanyahu and Liberman used anti-partition rhetoric simply to access constituents who are ardent supporters of Eretz Yisrael – the land delivered to the ancient Hebrews by Yahweh – and who would probably never opt for  leftist/centrist regimes? This bloc would be in addition to those who switched to Likud this time around in the hope of greater internal security. With a proven (?) mandate, they could then completely reverse their pre-electoral stance and actively labour for peace. The original Zionists who “made the desert bloom” were secular in that they considered God to reside in incessant toil. Zionism created Israel from nothing. It is imperative that it be redefined to save the populace the exorbitant cost of a round trip.

*Post #300 as Sepulchritude. Chose to publish it on 2/24/2009 because 2*(2+4)+2*(0+0+9) equals 300 divided by 10.