Can the Zionist Left and Palestinian-Israeli Parties Unite?

by Charles Lenchner · 2009-04-14 15:37:00 -0400
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Daniel Gavron, a veteran leftist in Israel, has made a brave proposal. Calmly analyzing the current (miserable) political situation in Israel, he arrives at a simple conclusion: the Jewish left should unite with the Arab parties in the Knesset.

...the Jewish left must not be afraid to join up with the Arab citizens of Israel. There are currently 11 members of the Arab parties in the Knesset, but there could be as many as 17 if the Arabs bothered to vote in general elections at the same rate that they vote in local elections. The Jewish left should invite the Arabs into an equal partnership, forming an inclusive social democratic party that could be an alternative to the Netanyahu regime. If the approach is made in the right way, the response would surely be positive.

The Zionist left had definitely seen better days. It's voters saw Labor and Meretz adopt the positions of Kadima, and decided to vote for the real thing instead of weak imitators. Israeli Arabs used to award a few Knesset seats to Labor and Meretz. A vibrant coalition of Arabs and Jews might not only expand the size of the left in the Knesset by increasing Arab voter turnout, it could also serve as the needed spark of hope to alter the mindset of Israelis AND Palestinians.

Of course, there already is a political party made up of both Jews and Arabs - Hadash. But it is tainted by too much history, as the parliamentary faction led by the Israeli Communist Party. A grand Israeli left would require massive compromise: Zionists and Arabs would need to accept working together in a party that is only a coalition of short and medium term interests, with no real ideology binding them together. The Jews can still be Zionists, and hope that this will preserve a Jewish-majority state of Israel. Arab leaders will need to adjust to seeing liberal Jews as constituents, and tone down nationalist rhetoric in favor of policy changes that gradually turn Israel into a 'state of all its citizens'.

Many Israeli-Palestinians would probably go along with that, at least for awhile.

I'm not optimistic that this will happen anytime soon. But it's bold. Let's hope Gavron generates some debate around this idea.

Charles Lenchner
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